CAPT.WYN  ROOSEVEL' 


THE  FRONTIER 

IN  THE 

SIERRAS 

OR 

THE  LOST  MINE 


BY 


CAPT.  WYN  ROOSEVELT 


Illustrated  by 
S.  SCHNEIDER 


NEW  YORK 
A.  L.  CHATTERTON  COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 


/f/ 


.13 


By  the  same  Author 

FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  OVERLAND  TRAIL 
FRONTIER  BOYS  IN  COLORADO 
FRONTIER  BOYS  !N  THE  ROCKIES 
FRONTIER  BOYS  IN  THE  GRAND  CANYON 
FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   MEXICO 
FRONTIER  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 
FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   HAWAII 
FRONTIER  BOYS  IN  THE  SIERRAS 
FRONTIER  BOYS  IN  THE  SADDLE 


Copyright   1909 
CHATTKRTON-PBCK  Co. 


s  4  9 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  IN    THE    CHANNEL       ...    ^    ....  g 

II.  FAREWELL  TO  HAWAII  .     ..    .     ....  17 

III.  JEEMS'    STORY :    .     .  25 

IV.  THE  LOST  MINE     .     .     ..    •«  >.     »    •«    •••  33 
V.  WORKING  THE  SHIP •     .,     .  41 

VI.  DANGEROUS  WORK   .     .     . .     .,    .    •.«    ..,    .  49 

VII.  WHAT  THEY  SAW .,     .,     .  57 

VIII.  A  RACE     ....     V    ,.     .,.«/.     •  66 

IX.  THE   ENGINEER ;.,    ..,    .  75 

X.  THE  RUSSIAN 85 

XL  A  CONSPIRACY 94 

XII.  THE  GREEN  GHOSTS 103 

XIII.  TOM'S  BAD  LUCK 112 

XIV.  THE  TRIAL .     t.i     .     .  121 

XV.  "THE  MARIA  CROTHERS  "       .     .     .:     .     .  130 

XVI.  AN  EXCITING  CHARGE 140 

XVII.  A    CHASE 148 

XVIII.  THE   DIAGRAM 157 

XIX.  THE  CAMP  IN  THE  VALLEY 167 

XX.  A   SURPRISE 176 

XXI.  THE  GREASER      .,    ..    .     .,    ..     ....  185 

XXII.  HAIL     ....    ,.,    .    ..,    w    i.,    M    w    .  192 

XXIII.  A  HOLIDAY    .    M    M '  «    «    «•    M    ...    .,    ...  202 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XXIV.  BIG  Gus  AND  His  GANG    ........  209 

XXV.  A  NEW  FORT      ......    ,     .  .  215 

XXVI.  A  NIGHT  ATTACK ...    ...  .  222 

XXVII.  THE   RETREAT ..;....  .  229 

XXVIII.  A  NEW  START .  .  237 

XXIX.  THE  SEARCH .     .,  .  244 

XXX.  THE  LOST  MINE  AGAIN     .,    .,    .     .,    w  ,.,    21 


The  Frontier  Boys  in  the 
Sierras 

CHAPTER   I 

IN  THE  CHANNEL 

"  BY  Jove,  Jim ! "  exclaimed  Jo  Darlington, 
"  but  this  sea  is  something  fierce !  For  one  I  will 
be  mighty  glad  when  we  get  clear  of  the  Hawaiian 
channels  and  out  into  the  open/* 

"  It  is  lively  going,"  yelled  Jim,  above  the  roar 
of  the  wind,  as  he  and  his  brother  Jo  were  standing 
together  on  the  bridge  of  their  ship,  "  but  I  guess 
the  Sea  Eagle  will  weather  it,  if  we  don't  run  into 
another  vessel  in  the  dark.  How  about  it,  Cap- 
tain?" 

The  captain,  who  was  the  rather  bent  figure  of 
an  old  man,  was  clothed  in  a  heavy  woolen  jacket, 
buttoned  across  his  chest.  He  stopped  and  re- 
garded Jim  fixedly  in  the  semi-light  on  the  bridge. 

"What's  that,  Skipper?"  he  roared  hoarsely, 
"  weather  this  ?  Why,  this  ain't  no  sea,  and  the 
Sea  Eagle  is  a  staunch  boat.  Why,  lad,  you  must 
be  joking." 

"  I  was,"  replied  Jim,  laughing.  "  I  just  want  to 
reassure  brother  Jo, — that  was  all." 


10         FRONTIER   BOYS  IN   THE  SIERRAS 

"  Somebody  ought  to  go  and  cheer  up  Tom  and 
Jeems  Howell,"  remarked  Jo,  in  order  to  give 
himself  some  sea  standing  in  the  eyes  of  Captain 
Kerns.  "  They  are  as  sick  as  puppies  down  in  the 
cabin." 

"Don't  blame  'em  much,"  cried  Jim,  "this 
motion  would  upset  a  shark's  liver." 

If  you  have  read  "  The  Frontier  Boys  in 
Hawaii,"  you  will  be  well  acquainted  with  these 
conversationalists  on  the  good  sea-going  yacht,  the 
Sea  Eagle,  but  if  not,  you  will  have  to  be  intro- 
duced, "  Mr.  Reader,  this  is  Skipper  James  Darling- 
ton." 

"  Happy  to  make  your  acquaintance,  hope  you 
are  a  good  sailor  ?  " 

"  Mr.  Reader,  allow  me  to  present  Captain 
Kerns." 

Captain  Kerns  merely  grunts,  and,  kind  Mr. 
Reader,  you  must  overlook  his  lack  of  formality, 
because  the  captain  is  an  old  salt  and  his  manners 
are  a  little  briny. 

In  way  of  further  explanation,  I  may  say  that 
the  Frontier  Boys  are  just  returning  from  a  trip 
to  Hawaii  in  which  they  have  explored  the  wonder- 
ful crater  of  Haleapala  on  the  Island  of  Maui,  and 
their  ship  the  Sea  Eagle,  whose  capture  is  another 


IN  THE   CHANNEL  11 

story,  is  pointing  her  prow  eastward  through  the 
rough  channel  that  separates  Hawaii  and  Maui. 

They  are  en  route  to  the  coast  of  California,  and 
as  soon  as  they  land  they  have  planned  to  make 
an  exploring  expedition  into  the  wilds  of  The 
Sierra  Nevadas,  in  search  of  a  lost  mine,  rumors 
of  which  have  come  to  their  ears.  Besides  the 
three  Frontier  Boys  and  their  comrade  Juarez,  there 
is  their  friend  Jeems  Howell,  a  shepherd  and 
philosopher,  from  a  small  island  off  the  coast  of 
California;  Captain  Kerns,  a  retired  ship's  master 
who  was  persuaded  to  come  along  merely  to  super- 
vise ;  Jim,  the  oldest  of  the  three  brothers,  being  the 
acting  commander,  though  generally  referred  to  as 
skipper.  And  besides  these,  there  is  old  Pete,  an 
ancient  mariner,  the  engineer,  and  a  sturdy  boy 
below  who  does  a  good  deal  of  the  stoking. 

Besides  these  dramatis  persona,  there  is  a  gen- 
eral chorus  of  Mermen  and  Mermaids,  sharks,  por- 
poises, sea  serpents  et  al;  as  Jo  Darlington  would 
say,  it  was  the  sharks  that  et  all.  But  this  is  no 
reflection  upon  the  appetites  of  the  boys,  which  was 
invariably  good,  if  we  may  except  Tom  Darling- 
ton and  Jeems  Howell  just  at  the  present  moment. 

Now,  on  with  the  voyage :  as  the  principals  have 
been  introduced  and  are  ready,  they  can  come  to 


12         FRONTIER   BOYS  IN   THE   SIERRAS 

close  grips  with  the  ocean  and  all  its  dangers,  so 
that  the  referee,  being  the  writer,  has  made  his  exit 
through  the  ropes,  allowing  a  free  field  and  no 
favor.  It  is  a  tough  beginning  as  far  as  sea  way 
goes.  The  hour  is  close  upon  midnight  in  mid- 
channel,  and  that  is  no  dream  even  on  so  staunch  a 
little  craft  as  the  Sea  Eagle. 

"  That  time  she  lapped  the  starboard  boat  into 
the  water,"  yelled  Jim.  "  Hold  steady  now,  lads." 

Then  up  rose  the  ship  on  the  other  roll  to  lar- 
board;, over,  over,  over  she  went;  would  she  never 
stop?  Then  with  a  straining  of  all  her  timbers, 
that  had  all  the  effort  of  severe  muscular  tension, 
she  did  stop,  then  back  she  rolled  on  the  other 
tack  which  was  equally  as  sharp,  the  brass  balls  on 
top  of  her  masts  pointing  from  star  to  star,  de- 
scribing, it  seemed,  almost  a  semi-circle. 

To  make  it  more  interesting  the  Sea  Eagle  would 
then  dip  under  a  huge  wave  and  the  water  would 
swish  and  roll  aft  along  the  main  deck.  The  wind 
whistled  and  hummed  through  the  taut  ropes,  and 
altogether  it  was  a  lively  night,  even  if  the  sturdy 
old  captain  did  discount  its  terrors.  Occasionally 
Jim  and  Jo  would  slide  across  the  bridge  and  bring 
up  against  the  side;  but  as  a  rule  they  kept  their 
sea  legs  in  good  shape. 


IN  THE   CHANNEL  13 

"  Hold  on,  Juarez,"  cried  Jim,  as  He  saw  a  dark 
form  emerge  from  the  companionway,  "here 
comes  a  big  wave." 

But  with  the  roar  of  the  sea  and  the  wind 
'  Juarez  did  not  hear  the  warning,  and  had  just 
started  across  the  deck  when  under  went  the  Sea 
Eagle,  and  a  tremendous  wave  swept  aft,  submerg- 
ing the  bulwarks.  It  caught  Juarez  off  his  feet 
and  swirled  him  toward  the  side.  He  would  not 
have  lived  a  minute  in  those  rearing,  plunging 
seas. 

As  he  was  swept  over,  he  caught  frantically  at 
an  iron  stanchion  and  barely  gripped  it,  and  before 
he  could  make  an  effort  to  help  himself  he  was 
submerged  in  the  water,  the  sea  tugging  at  him  as 
though  it  were  an  hungry  animal.  Hardy  as 
Juarez  was,  he  could  not  help  but  feel  a  thrill  of 
terror;  it  seemed  as  if  the  waves  desperately 
clutched  at  him. 

Jim  was  rilled  with  horror  when  he  saw  Juarez 
apparently  carried  overboard.  He  shook  off  the 
captain's  grip ;  the  latter  thought  that  Jim  was  go- 
ing to  spring  over  after  his  friend,  which  act  he 
knew  would  result  in  two  lives  being  thrown  away. 
So  he  leaped  to  the  main  deck.  Then  he  saw 
Juarez  struggling  to  get  aboard  before  the  next 


14         FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE   SIERRAS 

wave  came.  He  sprang  to  his  lielp  and  with  a 
powerful  pull  yanked  him  in. 

They  braced  themselves  against  the  attack  of  a 
second  wave  that  swept  the  deck  and  then  they 
were  "high  and  dry"  on  the  bridge,  drenched  to 
the  skin,  but  entirely  safe,  and  none  the  worse  for 
their  impromptu  bath. 

"  That  was  a  close  call,  Juarez,"  said  Jo  sym- 
pathetically. 

"  Another  call  like  that  and  I  won't  be  tu  hum," 
replied  Juarez  with  a  grin. 

"  Next  time  take  a  look  for'ard,  lad,"  said  the 
captain,  who  had  joined  the  group  in  the  shelter  of 
the  deck  house ;  "  we  could  never  have  picked  you 
up  on  a  dark  night  like  this."  Then  he  went  back 
to  his  station  on  the  bridge.  The  hardy  old  sailor 
would  never  have  dreamed  of  making  much  ado 
about  any  accident  no  matter  how  serious.  If  the 
party  came  through  alive,  that  was  sufficient  to 
show  that  it  was  not  very  bad.  The  Frontier  Boys, 
too,  had  absorbed  a  good  deal  of  that  philosophy  in 
the  course  of  many  dangers  which  they  had  so 
fortunately  outlived. 

When  daylight  came,  the  Sea  Eagle  had  battered 
her  way  through  the  rough  channel,  its  waters  tor- 
tured by  rapid  currents  and  terrific  cross  seas,  and 


IN   THE    CHANNEL  15 

•was  now  pitching  along  the  windward  coast  of  the 
big  Island  of  Hawaii,  with  its  twin  volcanic  sum- 
hiits  nearly  fourteen  thousand  feet  in  height.  It 
was  not  smooth  going  yet  by  any  means,  but  bet- 
ter than  during  the  night. 

"  Get  up,  Tom,  and  look  at  the  scenery."  It  was 
Jim's  cheerful  voice,  addressed  to  Tom,  who  lay 
pale  and  rather  wan  in  his  bunk. 

"  I've  got  no  use  for  scenery,"  growled  Tom, 
"  unless  I  can  get  close  enough  to  it  to  put  my  foot 
on  it.  I  want  something  solid." 

"  How  would  a  beefsteak  do,  Tom?  "  It  was  Jo, 
who  was  looking  over  Jim's  shoulder.  At  the  men- 
tion of  food,  Tom  seemed  endowed  with  sudden 
energy  and  reached  down,  and  grabbing  up  a  shoe, 
hurled  it  at  the  two  in  the  doorway.  They  ducked 
and  the  missile  barely  grazed  the  beard  of  the  old 
captain,  who  was  coming  aft,  and  then  it  went 
overboard. 

"  By  Thundas ! "  he  exclaimed,  opening  his  eyes 
wide  with  surprise,  "  who  kicked  that  ?  " 

"Tom  threw  it,  sir,"  said  Jim  with  a  burst  of 
laughter  he  could  not  control,  at  sight  of  the  cap- 
tain's astonished  visage,  "  but  he  meant  it  for  us, 
because  we  were  guying  him." 

"  I'll  forgive  him  on  account  of  his  intentions," 


16         FRONTIER   BOYS  IN   THE   SIERRAS 

grinned  the  captain.  "  I  only  wish  he  had  swatted 
you." 

Tom  was  much  relieved  to  hear  this  expression 
of  opinion  on  the  part  of  the  captain,  of  whom  he 
stood  in  considerable  awe.  From  fright  to  relief 
was  such  a  revulsion  of  feeling  that  Tom  forgot 
to  be  sea-sick,  and  he  began  to  mend  from  that 
moment,  so  that  he  was  able  to  be  present  for  duty 
when  breakfast  was  served. 

"  I  thought  you  were  sick  abed/'  remarked  Jim, 
opening  his  eyes  with  surprise. 

"  I  was,"  replied  Tom,  "  until  I  threw  up  that 
shoe,  now  I  feel  fine  and  fit  to  eat  a  square  meal." 


CHAPTER   II 

FAREWELL  TO  HAWAII 

JEEMS  Ho  WELL  was  the  only  one  of  the  hardy 
Frontier  group  who  was  unable  to  be  present  at 
breakfast  that  fine  morning. 

"  How  are  you  feeling,  Jeems,"  inquired  Jo,  look- 
ing in  upon  the  sufferer  a  little  later.  "  Don't  you 
think  that  you  could  eat  a  little  something  if  you 
were  propped  up  with  pillows  ?  " 

"  No,  no,  lad,"  said  Jeems  sadly.  "  I  feel  that 
I  ain't  long  for  this  world." 

"  I  don't  know  what  you  call  it  then,"  remarked 
the  incorrigible  Jo,  "  you  are  six  feet  four  and  that 
seems  to  me  to  be  pretty  long  for  this  world  or 
any  other." 

Jeems  laughed  so  heartily  at  this  that  he  too 
began  forthwith  to  recuperate.  Then  he  got  out 
on  the  land  side  of  the  deck  and,  though  the  sun 
was  of  a  sufficient  warmth  to  satisfy  the  most  ex- 
acting, he  kept  a  heavy  shawl  wrapped  around  his 
shoulders. 

"  Durned  old  woman,"  growled  the  captain  when 
17 


i8         FRONTIER   BOYS  IN    THE   SIERRAS 

he  caught  sight  of  the  figure  seated  between  the 
cabin  and  the  rail.  "  He  ought  to  be  for'ard  scrub- 
bing deck." 

However,  Skipper  Jim  was  more  lenient,  and 
only  laughed  at  the  captain's  severity,  for  he  knew 
that  the  old  fellow's  bark  was  much  worse  than  his 
bite.  In  fact,  no  work  was  being  dene  aboard  ship 
that  morning,  for  all  hands  were  given  a  chance  for 
a  long  last  look  at  Hawaii.  Never  again  were  they 
to  behold  a  more  beautiful  scene  than  the  panorama 
that  traveled  steadily  along  with  the  Sea  Eagle 
that  morning. 

The  soft  radiance  flooded  the  deeply  azure  sea, 
and  the  tropic  island  of  vivid  and  varied  green. 
The  four  boys  stood  leaning  lazily  on  the  ship's 
rail,  gazing  in  silence  at  the  view  that  was  passing 
before  them.  Their  sombreros  shaded  their  eyes, 
but  the  glare  from  the  water  shone  upon  their  faces 
of  healthy  bronze,  and  they  did  not  seem  to  mind  it 
in  the  least.  The  old  captain  sat  upon  the  bridge 
in  his  old  armchair,  with  his  old  comrade,  the  tor- 
toise-shell cat,  dozing  and  blinking  at  his  feet,  a 
true  picture  of  furry  felicity. 

So  the  crew  of  the  Sea  Eagle  passed  in  review 
this  coast  of  Hawaii,  with  black  precipices,  that 
rose  in  a  continuous  line  of  palisades  from  out  the 


FAREWELL   TO   HAWAII  19 

sea,  with  no  white  beach  shelving  down.  The 
great  green  surges,  with  the  force  of  the  Pacific 
behind  them,  rolled  against  the  perpendicular  walls, 
the  dark  surfaces  of  which  were  veined  at  frequent 
intervals  by  the  silvery  lines  of  the  waterfalls,  or 
graced  by  the  vines  which  fell  in  straight  lines,  or 
were  looped  in  varied  shapes. 

Beyond  these  cliffs  there  rose  the  splendid  slopes, 
with  here  and  there  groves  of  royal  palms  and 
slender  cocoa  trees,  fit  temples  for  the  gods  of  an- 
cient Hawaii  who  were  supposed  to  dwell  in 
streams  and  groves  and  mountains.  Still  higher 
up  the  mountain  side  grew  the  forests  of  creamy 
koa,  inlaid  among  the  dark-leaved  kukui. 

At  times  the  skirts  of  the  clouds,  heavy  with 
moisture,  dragged  along  the  lower  slopes,  and 
a  soft  gloom  would  diffuse  itself  over  the 
landscape.  Then  the  sun  would  roll  the  mists 
aside  for  the  moment,  and  the  light  would  fall 
upon  tropical  vales,  hills  and  mountain  slopes,  with 
all  the  vividness  of  the  early  spring  and  yet  with 
the  full,  rich  splendor  of  summer. 

No  wonder  the  Frontier  Boys  were  silent  as 
they  gazed  upon  this  scene  of  varied  and  unusual 
beauty,  so  different  from  the  wild  and  barren 
grandeur  of  the  mountain  ranges  in  their  own 


20         FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE  SIERRAS 

country,  and  the  arid  deserts  they  had  traveled 
over. 

"  I'd  hate  to  fall  overboard  here/'  exclaimed 
Tom,  "  it  looks  all-fired  deep." 

"  The  captain  says  that  along  these  island 
coasts,"  remarked  Juarez,  "  is  some  of  the  deepest 
seas  in  the  world." 

"  Say,  Jeems,"  cried  Juarez  to  the  invalid,  "  wade 
out  here  and  see  how  deep  it  is." 

"  If  you  really  want  to  know  I'll  tell  you,"  re- 
sponded Jeems,  the  philosopher.  "  Off  this  coast 
it's  between  five  and  seven  thousand  feet." 

"  Whew ! "  whistled  Jim,  "  over  a  mile,  how  is 
that  for  down?" 

"  It  makes  me  shiver  to  think  of  it,"  exclaimed 
Tom. 

"  Hello,  boys !  "  cried  Jeems,  "  there  is  a  big  fire 
over  on  the  other  side  of  the  Island." 

"  I  should  say ! "  commented  Jim  earnestly, 
"  Look  at  that  smoke  rolling  up." 

"  It  must  be  a  forest  fire,"  put  in  Jo.  "  Reminds 
me  of  our  Colorado  experiences." 

"  I  tell  you  what,  boys,  let's  make  a  landing 
and  take  a  look  at  it,"  cried  Juarez.  "There's  a 
fine  harbor  ahead  of  us ! " 

Old  Captain  Kerns  was  taking  a  deep  interest  in 


FAREWELL   TO   HAWAII  21 

the  conversation,  as  was  evident,  as  he  looked  down 
from  the  quarter  deck  at  the  boys. 

"  What's  that  you  lads  were  saying,  about  a  big 
fire  somewheres?"  he  inquired.    "I  hop< 
aboard  ship." 

"No,   no,   Captain/'    replied   Jim    reassuringly, 
"  we  meant  that  big  smoke  over  on  the  other  siflc 
of  the  island.    Juarez  wants  to  make  a  landing,  00 
as  we  can  see  it  to  better  advantage.     We 
want  to  miss  any  excitement." 

"  You  lads  are  always  so  eager,"  replied  the  cap- 
tain. "  Why  don't  you  wait  until  you  get  back 
here  sometime?" 

"  It  will  be  burned  out  long  before  we  get  back/' 
said  Jo. 

"Well,"  said  the  captain  slowly,  "that  smoke 
has  been  there  for  nigh  onto  a  thousand  year*,  and 
is  liable  to  be  there  for  some  time  yet.  That's  the 
volcano  of  Kiluaea." 

How  the  captain  roared  then ;  for  an  imtant  the 
boys  were  dumfounded,  then  they  gave  themtefre* 
up  to  hilarious  mirth, 

"That's  certainly  one  on  us  boys,"  cried  Jim, 
"  We  can't  tell  a  volcano  when  we  see  it  We 
ought  to  hare  stayed  on  the  old  farm  and  dug 


22         FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE  SIERRAS 

After  the  ship  had  turned  northward  from  the 
coast  of  Hawaii  the  boys  set  to  work  about  their 
usual  tasks  aboard  ship.  Jim  took  the  wheel ; 
Juarez  went  below  to  work  with  the  engineer,  with 
whom  he  was  quite  chummy;  Jeems  and  Jo 
scrubbed  decks,  while  Tom  was  busy  in  the  galley 
preparing  the  dinner.  All  the  boys  were  pretty  fair 
cooks,  but  Tom's  cooking  probably  had  more  style 
to  it,  though  he  was  not  quite  a  French  chef. 

The  old  captain  had  turned  into  his  cabin  on  the 
quarter  deck  to  take  a  good  nap  in  his  bunk,  while 
the  cat,  whom  he  named  Ulysses,  both  on  account 
of  his  wisdom  and  because  he  had  been  a  great 
traveler,  was  curled  up  in  the  chair  beside  him.  So 
the  day  went  quickly  and  cheerfully  by, — the  first 
day  at  sea. 

In  the  late  afternoon  all  hands  were  on  deck  to 
take  their  last  look  at  Hawaii,  that  was  fast  becom- 
ing a  mythical  island  on  the  enchanted  border  of 
the  horizon.  The  bulk  of  the  Island  of  Hawaii  was 
encompassed  with  an  atmosphere  of  wonderful 
blue,  rising  from  out  the  dusk,  which  shrouded  the 
distant  sea,  and  its  two  great  volcanic  cones,  that 
rose  to  the  glow  of  the  sunset,  were  touched  with  a 
delicate  pink. 

"  We  have  had  a  fine  time  down  there  in  Hawaii, 


FAREWELL   TO   HAWAII  23 

boys,"  said  Jim,  "  but  I'm  glad  we  are  headed  for 
home." 

"  I  suppose  you  will  try  to  locate  that  lost  mine 
in  the  Sierras?"  said  Tom,  "that  Jeems  spoke 
about  the  other  day." 

"If  there  is  anything  lost  we  are  the  ones  to 
locate  it,"  said  Jo.  "  There  is  no  doubt  about 
that." 

"We  must  get  Jeems  to  tell  us  more  about  it," 
said  Jim.  "  Perhaps  we  can  get  him  to  tune  up  this 
evening  after  supper." 

"  Time  to  put  up  the  lights,  Captain  ?  "  inquired 
Juarez. 

"Yes,  Juarez,"  replied  Jim.  "You  may  attend 
to  it." 

"  I  don't  see  what's  the  use,"  remarked  Tom. 
"  We  won't  probably  see  a  ship  until  we  get  near 
the  coast  of  California." 

"  Don't  make  any  difference,"  replied  Jim. 
"  That's  the  law  of  the  sea  and  you  can't  ever  tell 
what  you  will  run  against." 

Juarez  did  not  wait  to  hear  the  discussion,  but 
went  after  the  red  and  the  green  lanterns.  He 
placed  the  red  on  the  starboard  side  for'ard  in  a 
wooden  bracket  well  up,  and  the  green  was  placed 
on  the  port  side,  or  the  left,  and  they  shone  through 


24         FRONTIER   BOYS  IN   THE   SIERRAS 

the  bronze  dusk  that  obscured  the  rolling  sea,  like 
separate  jewels,  the  emerald  and  the  ruby. 

It  was  a  happy  group  that  gathered  around  the 
supper  table  in  the  cabin  that  evening,  for  the  boys 
were  homeward  bound.  The  windows  of  the  sky- 
light were  wide  open,  because  it  was  a  typical 
tropical  night — warm  and  balmy — and  the  great 
lamp  that  swung  over  the  table  with  its  brass  re- 
flector served  to  make  it  warmer  still. 

"  Tell  us  something  more  about  that ,  lost  mine 
you  were,  telling  about  the  other  day,  Jeems," 
piped  up  Tom. 

"  Don't  tell  Tom  first,"  warned  Jim,  "  because  if 
you  do,  he  will  have  all  the  shares  sold  before  we 
arrive."  There  was  a  general  laugh  at  this  be- 
cause Tom  was  strictly  business  when  it  came  to 
money. 

"  Wait  till  we  get  on  deck,  then  I'll  spout,"  said 
Jeems^ 


CHAPTER  III 

JEEMS'   STORY 

So  the  clan  shortly  after  supper  gathered  at  the 
after  hatch  on  the  main  deck  to  hear  what  Jeems 
had  to  tell  them  in  regard  to  this  stray,  lost,  or 
stolen  mine  in  the  depths  of  the  Sierra  Nevadas. 
The  captain  was  seated  in  his  old  chair  upon  the 
quarter  deck,  and,  in  the  gloaming,  puffing  thought- 
fully at  his  weathered  old  pipe,  meditating,  like  as 
not,  on  the  days  of  long  ago,  when  he  was  as  full 
of  life  as  that  bunch  now  talking  and  laughing  on 
the  main  deck. 

"This  is  a  fine  old  night,"  declared  Jo,  as  he 
stretched  himself  comfortably  out  on  the  canvas 
cover  of  the  hatch. 

"  I  never  saw  so  many  stars  before,"  declared 
Tom,  "must  be  a  million  in  sight." 

"  Not  so,  son,"  remarked  Jeems,  "There  is  not 
more  than  three  thousand  visible  to  the  naked  eye." 

"  Go  on  with  you,"  said  Tom,  conclusively, 
"you  needn't  tell  me  that.  It's  as  much  of  a  yarn 
as  your  story  of  the  lost  mine." 

25 


26         FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE  SIERRAS 

"  Don't  mind  him,  Jeems,"  said  Jim.  "  Let's 
hear  your  tale  of  woe  about  this  mine  that  some- 
body lost." 

"  Well,"  remarked  Jeems,  "  if  you  children  will 
be  quiet  and  don't  interrupt,  I'll  begin.  First  make 
yourselves  comfortable." 

This  the  boys  proceeded  to  do;  Jim  and  Juarez 
stretched  their  long  legs  out  on  the  deck,  with  their 
backs  against  the  hatch,  while  Tom  started  to  make 
himself  content  and  at  ease  by  using  Jo's  stomach 
for  a  pillow.  This,  however,  did  not  agree  with 
Jo's  idea  of  comfort,  or  perhaps  it  was  his  stomach 
that  it  did  not  agree  with.  However  that  may  be, 
there  was  a  cat  fight  on  the  hatch,  Jo  and  Tom 
grappling  with  each  other  and  struggling  over  and 
over.  Jim  was  about  .to  jump  in  and  separate  them, 
when  he  saw  that  they  were  likely  to  roll  off  the 
hatch  on  to  the  deck,  and  then  he  would  not  have 
interfered  for  anything. 

The  two  combatants  were  so  interested  that  they 
did  not  see  or  care.  Then  they  poised  on  the  edge 
and,  as  the  ship  gave  a  roll,  over  they  went,  just 
missing  Jeems'  shepherd  dog,  who  was  peacefully 
lying,  nose  over  paws,  upon  the  deck.  This  unex- 
pected avalanche  sent  him  howling  for'ard  for 
safety. 


JEEMS'  STORY  27 

Then  still  clutching  each  other  they  rolled  into 
the  scuppers,  Tom  striving  to  get  a  strangle  hold 
on  brother  Jo,  and  the  latter  chugging  Tom  in  the 
side  with  his  free  fist.  At  this  juncture  Jim  took  a 
hand,  not  in  the  interest  of  peace,  but  because  he 
wanted  to  hear  the  shepherd's  yarn.  So  he  yanked 
them  apart,  none  too  gently. 

"  Ain't  you  ashamed  of  yourselves  ?  "  exclaimed 
Jim  severely,  "mussing  up  my  clean  deck  and  scar- 
ing Jeems'  dog  into  a  fit." 

"I'm  no  sofa  pillow,"  panted  Jo.  "Tom  will 
find  that  out." 

"  I'll  put  you  children  on  either  side  of  the  hatch 
if  you  don't  behave,"  advised  Jim,  "  and  make  you 
sit  there." 

"  Like  to  see  you  try  it,"  replied  Tom  belliger- 
ently. 

"  Send  'em  to  bed  without  any  supper,"  put  in 
Juarez  jocosely. 

"  I'd  give  'em  a  taste  of  the  rope's  end." 

It  was  the  old  captain's  voice  rumbling  down 
from  the  quarter  deck.  He,  too,  had  been  aroused 
by  the  sound  of  the  scufHe.  Tom  glanced  up  at 
him  with  an  apprehensive  eye,  for  he  stood  in  con- 
siderable awe  of  the  old  sailor,  and  quieted  right 
down. 


28         FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE   SIERRAS 

"  They  will  be  good  boys  now,  Captain,"  grinned 
Jim.  "  Their  feelings  were  temporarily  upset" 

"  It  seemed  to  be  an  upset  of  some  kind,"  replied 
the  captain  with  a  grim  smile,  and  went  back  to  his 
chair. 

Peace  being  restored,  Jeems  began  his  narrative 
in  the  slow,  drawling  manner  characteristic  of  his 
mode  of  speech.  He  was  leaning  forward  with  his 
elbows  on  his  knees,  and  his  gray  eyes — large  and 
open — seemed  to  be  looking  dreamily  over  the 
dusky  sea,  that  was  rolling  languidly  through  the 
warm  darkness  of  the  night. 

"  It  was  a  some  different  sort  of  night  than  this 
when  I  first  heard  tell  of  the  mine,  which  maybe 
you  boys  think  you  will  find  some  trace  of,  being 
young  and  hopeful  and  full  of  action." 

"  Now,  Jeems,  don't  get  personal,"  warned  Jim. 
"We  aren't  as  young  as  we  act/' 

"  I  know  it,  Skipper,"  admitted  Jeems ;  "  but  as 
I  was  going  to  tell  you,  this  night  I  was  speaking 
of,  it  had  started  in  to  snow  something  fierce.  I 
was  young  then  myself,  and  had  been  prospectin* 
all  day  and  had  come  home  to  my  little  cabin  that 
was  under  the  shelter  of  a  huge  ledge  in  the  mid- 
Sierras. 

"  I  can  tell  you,  lads,  I  .was  mighty  glad  to  be  out 


JEEMS'  STORY  29 

of  the  storm  that  night,  and  I  pitied  any  poor  pros- 
pector who  might  be  caught  out  in  it.  My  cabin 
was  smaller  than  the  one  I  had  on  the  Island  off 
the  coast,  where  you  first  discovered  me,  but  it  was 
comfortable  and  warm,  and  well  sheltered  from 
the  wind. 

"  I  had  built  a  big  stone  fireplace  in  one  corner 
of  the  cabin,  and  had  big  sticks  of  pine  piled  up  to 
the  roof  and  a  lot  just  outside  of  the  door.  You 
know  how  pitch  pine  will  burn." 

"  Needn't  tell  us/'  cried  the  audience  in  chorus. 

"  Besides  wood,  I  had  enough  grub  to  stand  a 
siege,  as  I  was  always  forehanded." 

"  Must  have  been  durn  lonesome,"  commented 
Jo.  "  Grub  and  firewood  ain't  everything." 

"  That  sort  of  business  would  just  suit  me,"  put 
in  Juarez. 

"Well,  I  wasn't  entirely  alone,"  said  the  shep- 
herd. 

"Wife  with  you?"  cut  in  Tom,  who  could  be 
over-smart  at  times.  Jim  noticed  that  the  shepherd 
winced  at  the  careless  question,  and  he  put  a  grip 
on  Tom's  knee  that  meant  that  the  said  Tom  had 
better  keep  his  mouth  shut. 

"  A  man  don't  take  his  wife  into  sucri  a  wilder- 
ness as  that,"  said  Jim. 


30         FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE  SIERRAS 

"  Go  on,  Jeems,  and  there  won't  be  any  more 
personal  interruptions." 

"  Well,  Skipper,  as  I  was  agoin'  to  say,  I  had 
with  me  a  big  hound,  one  that  had  followed  me  on 
my  trips  ever  since  he  was  a  puppy.  A  prospector 
had  given  him  to  me  when  I  was  sluicing  for  gold 
on  Rainbow  Creek.  He  was  a  smooth,  black- 
skinned  dog,  with  stubby  ears,  and  a  jaw  on  him 
like  a  prize  fighter.  He  was  equal  to  anything  in  a 
fight  short  of  a  grizzly,  and  I  valued  his  company 
considerable,  I  can  tell  you." 

"  I  should  like  to  have  seen  a  scrap  between  him 
and  Captain  Graves'  Santa  Anna."  (This  was  on 
the  Back  trail  when  the  Frontier  Boys  were  in 
Colorado),  said  Juarez. 

"  Get  Jo  and  Tom  to  mixing  it,"  laughed  Jim, 
"and  you'll  have  some  idea  of  what  it  would  be 
like." 

At  this  point  the  boys  were  surprised  to  see 
Jeems  become  angry  at  Juarez's  innocent  interrup- 
tion. It  was  the  first  time  that  the  boys  had  ever 
seen  Jeems  Howell  anything  but  good-natured,  no 
matter  what  happened,  or  what  prank  was  played 
on  him.  But,  as  Jo  remarked  later,  "  Human  na- 
ture is  a  mighty  uncertain  business,  and  everybody 
has  got  a  cranky  spot  in  'em  if  you  just  happen  to 


JEEMS'   STORY  31 

strike  it  at  the  explosive  time."  Which  is  a  mighty 
true  observation,  which  you  can  prove  to  your  own 
satisfaction  any  day  in  the  week.  The  writer  being 
example  No.  I,  and  you,  indulgent  reader,  example 
No.  2. 

Jim  and  Juarez,  by  their  combined  and  genial 
efforts,  pulled  Jeems  out  of  the  sulks  and  on  to  his 
own  sunny  level  once  more.  Then  he  took  up  his 
narrative  again. 

"  Well,  boys,  it  don't  seem  that  I  have  got  any 
right  to  criticize  that  black  hound's  temper,  con- 
sidering my  own." 

"Anybody  is  apt  to  get  riled  once  in  a  lifetime, 
Jeems,"  said  Jim,  "  even  Tom  here  has  been 
known  to  act  up  occasionally."  Tom  joined  in  the 
laugh  because  he  had  a  notoriously  quick  temper, 
and  complete  serenity  was  restored. 

"  That  hound  would  never  make  friends  with 
anyone  except  me,"  continued  Jeems,  "  and  I  could 
always  depend  on  his  watchfulness  to  warn  me  of 
the  approach  of  any  marauder.  It  was  a  wild  coun- 
try, and  with  bad  Indians  and  worse  white  men  you 
always  had  to  be  on  your  guard.  Still  on  this  night 
I  tell  ye  of,  the  storm  was  so  wild  and  fierce  that 
I  did  not  believe  anyone  would  be  abroad  who  had 
any  sort  of  a  place  to  stay  in. 


32         FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE  SIERRAS 

"  Before  turning  in,  I  stepped  outside  to  see  how 
things  were  going.  The  hound  followed  close  on 
my  heels.  I  closed  the  door  tight  and  stood  in  the 
darkness  with  my  old  gray  hat  pulled  down  close 
around  my  head.  I  could  scarcely  see.  The  snow 
was  swirling  from  the  ledge  above  my  cabin,  and 
was  blown  out  in  great  sheets  into  the  night. 

"  Then  the  hound  began  to  growl  kind  of  low, 
and  his  hair  was  bristling,  but  he  did  not  show  any 
sudden  desire  to  take  a  jump  down  the  mountain 
side,  as  he  would  under  ordinary  circumstances, 
and  I  didn't  urge  him  because  I  thought  he  showed 
mighty  good  sense." 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE    LOST     MINE 

"'ANYBODY  down  thar?'  I  yelled,  but  my  voice 
was  blown  down  my  throat,  and  you  couldn't  have 
heard  it  six  feet  away,  as  the  wind  was  doing  all 
the  talking  that  night.  So  I  stepped  back  into  my 
cabin,  followed  by  the  dog,  who  kept  growling  to 
himself  like  a  man  with  a  grouch. 

"  No  sooner  was  I  inside  than  I  let  the  heavy 
bar  down  across  the  door,  and,  when  it  fell  into 
place,  I  drew  a  full  breath,  for  I  felt  nervous  at  the 
action  Of  the  dog,  and  it  was  terrible  lonesome, 
just  as  bad  as  being  adrift  on  a  raft  in  this  ocean.'* 

"  I'd  take  the  land  every  time,"  cut  in  Tom. 
"  It's  what's  under  you  makes  you  so  scarey  on 
the  ocean." 

"  I  don't  know  but  that  the  constant  motion  of 
the  sea  makes  it  kind  of  company  for  a  man,"  re- 
marked Jim. 

"  Don't  tell  me  that,"  said  the  shepherd  with  a 
quizzical  look  in  his  eyes,  "  from  my  recent  experi- 
ence that  same  motion  will  separate  you  from  what 
is  nearest  to  you.  Anyhow,  after  I  had  put  on  a 

33 


34         FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE  SIERRAS 

big  log  of  pine  on  the  coals  in  the  fireplace,  and 
the  flame  began  to  blaze  up,  I  felt  more  cheerful, 
for  it  seemed  to  make  my  cabin  alive  with  a  hearty 
glow. 

"  After  I  had  toasted  my  blankets  thoroughly,  I 
wrapped  them  around  me,  and  laid  down  near  the 
fire,  with  my  rffle  near  me.  The  big  hound  was 
just  back  a  bit,  between  me  and  the  door,  and  I 
felt  quite  secure  and  perfectly  comfortable.  I  was 
tired,  too,  for  I  had  been  working  hard  all  day, 
and  I  soon  dropped  off  into  a  sound  sleep. 

"  I  do  not  know  how  long  I  had  slept,  when  I 
sat  up  suddenly  throwing  the  blankets  off  from  me 
and  grabbing  my  rifle.  The  fire  had  died  down  and 
there  was  that  chill  in  the  air  that  cramps  a  man's 
blood.  The  cabin  was  full  of  shadows,  except  the 
dying  glow  on  the  stone  hearth.  The  dog  had 
risen  and  was  growling  towards  the  door.  Then 
I  heard  the  blow  of  a  stick,  I  suppose  it  was,  against 
the  door. 

"  I  tell  you,  it  made  me  feel  scared,  coming  in 
the  dead  of  night,  in  such  a  lonesome,  utterly  deso- 
late place.  I  was  kind  of  superstitious  in  those 
days,  too,  and  I  was  afraid  of  what  was  out- 
side there,  because  it  didn't  seem  possible  for  any- 
thing human  to  have  reached  my  isolated  cabin 


THE  LOST  MINE  35 

on  such  a  night.  Again  came  the  blow  upon 
the  door;  then  I  crossed  to  the  window  and  very 
cautiously  looked  out. 

"  It  had  evidently  heard  me  or  divined  that  I 
was  at  the  window,  for  I  saw  pressed  against  the 
pane  and  almost  touching  my  face,  it  seemed,  the 
dark  visage  of  a  man  with  wild,  black  eyes.  The 
dog  saw  him  too,  but  as  he  did  not  seem  to  be 
inspired  with  his*  Usual  ferocity,  I  decided  to  take  a 
chance  and  let  him  in.  I  would  not  have  kept  the 
Old  Boy  himself  out  on  a  night  like  that. 

"  So  with  my  weapon  ready,  I  unbarred  the  door, 
and  the  man  stumbled  in.  I  saw  that  he  was  not 
an  American,  but  belonged  to  some  dark  race, 
probably  a  Spaniard.  When  I  got  a  good  look  at 
his  face,  I  saw  that  my  unbidden  guest  was  no 
other  than  Rodrigo  Sandez,  who  was  fabled  all 
through  that  region  to  have  found  the  entrance  to 
the  famous  Lost  Mine,  whose  wealth  had  been 
coupled  with  legends  for  many  years. 

"  It  seems  that  this  mine  had  been  known  to  the 
earliest  Spanish  explorers,  many  of  whom  went 
back  to  Spain  fabulously  rich.  Then,  for  many 
years,  all  trace  had  been  lost  of  it,  and  numerous 
miners  and  prospectors  laughed  incredulously  at 
any  mention  of  it.  Then  came  Rodrigo  Sandez 


,36         FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE  SIERRAS 

with  his  friend,  who  likewise  was  Spanish,  or  as  I 
think  Spanish-Mexican,  and  rediscovered  the  Lost 
Mine,  probably  through  some  information  long 
hidden,  that  had  come  to  them  in  Mexico,  through 
some  unknown  sources. 

"  The  man  was  half  frozen  from  exposure  to  the 
elements,  and  when  he  was  thawed  out  physically, 
it  did  the  same  for  his  powers  of  speech.  I  eagerly 
hoped  that  he  would  have  something  to  say  that 
would  give  me  a  clue  to  the  whereabouts  of  that 
mine,  not  that  I  expected  he  would  make  me  his 
heir,  but  I  was  anxious  to  make  a  stake  in  those 
days,  for  one  reason,  if  not  for  another,  so  I  had 
hopes. 

"  In  the  three  weeks  that  he  stayed  in  my  cabin 
before  the  storm  broke,  not  a  hint  could  I  get  out 
of  him,  though  he  would  talk  volubly  about  other 
matters,  telling  me  of  his  travels  in  Mexico  and 
South  America.  All  the  time  he  was  with  me  I 
kept  wondering  what  had  become  of  his  partner, 
but  when  I  had  it  on  the  tip  of  my  tongue  to  ask 
him,  something  in  his  manner  of  looking  at  me 
held  me  back. 

"  Physically  he  was  not  impressive,  this  man, 
being  short  and  stocky.  His  complexion  was 
yery  dark,  and  his  hair  was  short  and  bristly.  But 


THE  LOST  MINE  37 

there  was  a  peculiar  power  in  his  eyes  at  times,  and 
when  he  was  disturbed  about  anything,  instead  of 
becoming  sharp  and  brilliant  they  took  on  a  kind 
of  glaze,  that  gave  you  a  creepy  feeling  when  he 
looked  at  you. 

"  I  might  say  right  here  that  though  Sandez  and 
his  partner  had  been  trailed  many  times  in  the 
effort  to  find  where  this  mine  was  located,  they 
were  always  lost  track  of.  Either  they  dropped 
out  of  sight  as  though  the  earth  had  swallowed 
them,  or  something  happened  to  the  party  that  was 
following  them. 

"  When  Sandez  left  my  cabin  to  go  on  his  way 
south,  the  weather  having  cleared,  I  decided  to  take 
up  his  back  trail  in  hope  of  finding  some  trace  of 
his  partner,  and  thus  getting  a  possible  clue  to  the 
location  of  the  mine.  So  I  started  out  one  clear, 
cold  day,  with  my  dog  for  guide  and  company. 

"  I  knew  the  general  direction  that  the  two 
partners  traveled,  for  their  trail  was  not  lost  until 
they  had  gone  some  twenty  miles  northwest  of  my 
cabin.  I  made  fast  time  over  the  frozen  snow  on 
my  skis,  until  by  noon  I  had  covered  nigh  onto 
fifteen  miles.  The  dog  was  trotting  along  ahead 
of  me  when  suddenly  he  disappeared  into  a  deep 
gulch. 


38         FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE  SIERRAS 

"  In  a  second  or  two  he  set  up  a  howl  long- 
drawn-out  and  I  knew  then  that  he  had  found  the 
quarry.  I  discovered  the  body  of  the  man  under 
some  thick  bushes  at  the  bottom  of  the  gulch.  He 
had  not  been  frozen  to  death  either,  for  there 
was  a  slit  in  his  back,  where  the  knife  had  been 
driven. 

"  No  wonder  that  I  had  found  it  hard  to  ask  the 
Senor  Sandez  what  had  become  of  his  partner. 
Here  was  the  answer.  It  was  evident  that  this 
deed  of  treachery  had  been  the  end  of  a  bitter 
quarrel,  perhaps  over  the  division  of  the  wealth  or 
some  other  matter  of  dispute.  I  always  felt  that 
there  was  more  back  of  it  than  appeared  on  the 
surface.  I  found  nothing  to  establish  the  identity 
of  the  dead  man,  neither  his  name  nor  his  place 
of  residence. 

"  I  did  find,  however,  in  an  inner  pocket  the  pic- 
ture of  a  rather  pretty  Spanish  woman,  and  on  the 
back  of  it  was  drawn  a  diagram  showing  a  certain 
part  of  the  mountain.  I  instantly  jumped  to  the 
conclusion  that  it  was  the  clue  to  the  Lost  Mine. 
I  spent  several  months  thereafter  trying  to  locate 
the  place.  I  got  most  of  the  way  by  the  map  and 
then  I  came  to  a  mark  that  fooled  me  completely, 
and  I  lost  the  trail." 


THE  LOST  MINE  39 

"IWKat  rdid  you  do  with  that  diagram,  Jeems?  " 
asked  Jim  intently. 

"  I  kept  it  back  of  a  rock  in  the  chimney  of 
my  cabin,  and  it's  there  yet  for  all  I  know." 

"  Unless  the  mountain  rats  have  chewed  it  up," 
remarked  Tom  gloomily. 

"  I  suppose  you  can  find  that  cabin  of  yours, 
can't  you  ?  "  inquired  Juarez. 

"  It's  a  good  many  years,  but  I  reckon  I  could," 
Jeems  replied. 

"  Well,  I  reckon  you  will  have  the  chance,"  said 
jjim,  "  just  as  soon  as  we  land." 

"That  yarn  of  yours  was  not  only  interesting, 
Jeems,  but  it  has  some  practical  value," 
remarked  Jo. 

"Ahoy  there,  Skipper,"  boomed  out  the  old  cap- 
tain's voice  from  the  quarter  deck.  "  It's  about 
time  the  man  at  the  wheel  was  relieved."  Jim 
sprang  to  his  feet,  and  gave  his  head  a  hard  thump 
with  his  fist  to  wake  himself  up. 

"  Right,  Captain,"  he  replied,  "  I've  been  sitting 
here  listening  to  a  yarn  and  forgetting  my  work. 
Jo,  to  the  wheel.  I'll  stand  watch." 

Then  he  leaped  up  the  steep  steps  leading  to  the 
quarter  deck,  closely  followed  by  Jo,  who  took 
Pete's  place  at  the  wheel,  while  that  worthy  went 


40         FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE  SIERRAS 

below;  and  the  captain  turned  into  his  cabin  on 
the  quarter  deck  without  more  ado.  If  anyone 
Besides  Jim  had  been  so  forgetful,  there  would  have 
been  a  vast  amount  of  growling  on  his  part,  but 
Jim  was  a  favorite. 


CHAPTER  V 

WORKING  THE  SHIP 

IT  was  now  ten  o'clock,  and  the  ship  steadily 
held  her  way  over  the  plunging  seas,  and  the  wind 
came  from  out  the  vague  spaces  of  the  night,  not 
chill,  but  bracing.  How  Jim  loved  it!  Sometimes 
he  felt  when  he  was  pacing  the  deck  at  night  on 
watch,  that  he  liked  the  ocean  even  better  than  the 
mountains. 

As  he  strode  back  and  forth  he  thought  and 
pondered  over  Jeems*  story.  Suppose  they  should 
find  this  rich  pocket  mine  of  gold  in  the  Sierras, 
what  would  they  do  with  the  money  ?  Jim  was  not 
grasping  and  the  mere  idea  of  getting  rich  did  not 
appeal  to  him.  "  A  fool  can  make  money,"  he  had 
sometimes  said,  "  but  it  takes  a  wise  man  to  spend 
it."  Then  he  brought  his  fist  down  hard  upon  the 
rail. 

"  I've  got  it,  Jo,"  he  cried,  "  if  we  find  that  mine, 
we  will  take  a  trip  around  the  world  and  see  if 
we  can't  discover  something  new.  We've  got  the 
ship  already." 

"  What  do  we  need  of  more  money  ?  "  asked  Jo. 
41 


42         FRONTIER   BOYS   IN    THE   SIERRAS 

"  Let's  head  her  around  now  and  strike  out  for  the 
Philippines.  We  have  got  some  of  that  treasure 
left  that  we  discovered  in  Mexico." 

"  I  wonder  what  Pap  would  say/'  replied  Jim, 
lowering  his  voice,  "  if  he  found  that  he  had  been 
shanghied  in  any  such  fashion.  I  suspicion  that 
there  would  be  a  mutiny  aboard  this  craft." 

"  I  forgot  about  him,"  admitted  Jo. 

"  Another  thing,  you  don't  realize  how  much 
money  it  takes  to  keep  a  yacht  going,  even  if  we 
are  under  sail  part  of  the  time.  This  boat  has  got 
to  be  overhauled  when  we  get  to  port.  Drydocked 
for  one  thing,  liable  to  cost  $500;  then  the  engines 
will  have  to  be  overhauled.  Next  coal  and  pro- 
visions  " 

"  I  reckon  we  had  better  discover  that  mine," 
agreed  Jo. 

"  That's  where  you  show  your  good  sense,"  con- 
cluded Jim. 

So  as  the  schooner  yacht  went  northward  follow- 
ing her  unseen  path  through  the  darkness,  the 
boys'  minds  were  busy  with  their  plans  for  the 
future.  For  one,  I  envy  them  their  buoyant  free- 
dom, their  hearty  comradeship,  and  their  chance 
for  new  and  varying  adventure.  Yet  they  had 
earned  much  of  the  good  fortune  that  had  come  to 


WORKING   THE   SHIP  43 

them  by  their  pluck  in  danger  and  their  cheerful 
endurance  of  hardship. 

At  two  o'clock  Tom  was  called  on  deck  to  take 
the  wheel,  and  Jeems  Howell  to  stand  watch.  Not 
a  very  strong  maritime  team,  to  be  sure,  but  with 
the  calm  mild  weather  it  was  safe  enough,  and 
the  captain  was  near  at  hand  if  any  trouble  should 
arise  suddenly  from  out  the  darkness  of  the  sea. 

"  Do  you  suppose  you  two  land  lubbers  can  man- 
age, without  running  us  aground  ?  "  inquired  Jim. 

"  Aye,  aye,  sir !  "  replied  Jeems  cheerfully. 

"  I'm  just  as  liable  to  run  this  thing  in  a  circle," 
replied  Tom,  "  and  we  will  butt  into  Hawaii  before 
we  know  it." 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  boys  were  all  pretty 
fair  sort  of  sailors  by  this  time,  in  a  kind  of  make- 
shift practical  way.  They  had  received  good  in- 
struction from  old  Pete,  and  capable  supervision 
from  the  old  captain,  and  it  gave  them  confidence  to 
have  him  back  of  them  in  case  anything  unusual 
should  come  up. 

Juarez,  who  was  really  a  mechanical  genius, 
went  below  in  the  engine-room  to  relieve  the  engi- 
neer. He  spent  his  happiest  hours  in  a  pair  of 
greasy  jumpers  working  over  the  engine,  feeding 
it  with  oil,  polishing  it  until  it  shone,  and  giving 


44         FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE  SIERRAS 

it  constant  attention.  The  taciturn  engineer  ha'd 
taken  quite  a  fancy  to  Juarez,  who  was  himself  as 
silent  as  an  Indian.  He  had  taught  Juarez  a  great 
deal  about  his  intricate  trade,  and  the  pupil  had 
been  quick  to  profit,  always  watching  and  observ- 
ing, and  saying  little. 

It  seemed  to  Juarez  that  he  was  at  the  center  of 
things  when  he  was  watching  over  the  throbbing, 
steady,  ceaseless  movement  of  the  engine ;  and  shut 
off  from  the  outside  world,  his  thoughts  seemed 
to  time  with  the  steady,  powerful  harmony  of  the 
mechanism,  with  its  living  spirit  of  steam  within 
the  polished  framework.  Many  a  boy  who  reads 
these  lines  will  envy  Juarez  Hoskins,  assistant  engi- 
neer of  the  Sea  Eagle,  and  will  understand  his 
feelings  perhaps  even  better  than  the  writer. 

Nor  did  Juarez  mind  the  heat,  as  with  the  jumper 
fastened  over  his  brown  naked  shoulders,  and  bare 
head,  he  went  busily  about  the  engine-room 
whistling  softly  to  himself.  Old  Pete  passed  near 
on  his  way  into  the  hold,  and  in  a  short  time  up 
came  the  boy  stoker,  black  as  a  gnome  and  cheerful 
as  a  darkey,  for  he  was  Irish,  which  I  take  to  be 
a  Hibernian  remark. 

Thus  with  the  exception  of  Pete  the  Frontier 
Boys  were  in  charge  of  their  ship  and  running  it 


WORKING   THE  SHIP  45 

all  right  too.  There  was  no  question  that  this 
practise  cruise  to  Hawaii  was  a  fine  thing  for  them, 
and  after  it  was  over  they  would  be  well  qualified 
to  take  the  Sea  Eagle  wherever  their  fancy  might 
dictate,  or  where  necessity  might  require. 

The  next  morning  broke  bright  and  balmy  and 
the  boys  settled  down  to  regular  sea  routine :  scrub- 
bing decks,  steering,  polishing  the  brasswork,  and 
last,  but  not  least,  cooking.  Some  things  were  now 
present  on  the  bill  of  fare  which  were  absent  when 
they  sailed  from  the  coast.  For  instance,  there 
were  bananas,  some  yellow  and  ripe,  others  a 
bright  green  which  would  ripen  on  the  voyage. 

There  was  also  half  a  bushel  of  mangoes,  a  most 
delicious  fruit  of  juicy  yellow  meat,  and  a  tart 
flavor  hidden  among  its  sweetness.  There  was  also 
a  small  barrel  of  poi,  the  staple  Hawaiian  article 
of  diet,  of  which  the  boys  had  grown  very  fond 
during  their  short  sojourn  in  Hawaii.  It  was  a 
thick  bluish  paste,  and  most  nutritious. 

Poi  was  made  from  a  native  root  called  taro, 
of  mottled  bluish-white  meat.  This  was  pounded 
up  with  water  to  a  thick  consistency  and  according 
to  the  native  custom  eaten  from  bowls  into  which 
the  two  forefingers  were  dipped,  whirled  around 
and  then  transferred  quickly  and  gracefully  to  the 


46         FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE  SIERRAS 

mouth.  It  was  an  interesting  spectacle  to  see  Tom, 
for  instance,  seated  on  a  hatch,  his  bare  legs  crossed 
before  him,  and  a  bowl  of  poi  between  them.  Then 
Tom  would  throw  his  head  back  and  pop  his  two 
fingers  into  his  mouth  with  much  and  evident  en- 
joyment. 

Now  poi  is  very  fattening  and  the  boys  used  to 
tease  Jeems  Howell  about  his  getting  a  corpora- 
tion, as  he  was  naturally  as  thin  as  a  slab.  "  You 
would  look  funny  waddling  around  the  deck, 
Jeems,"  said  Jim,  "  and  the  fat  shaking  on  your 
tummy  when  you  laughed." 

"  Could  use  me  for  ballast  then,  Skipper,"  he 
would  remark,  "  but  I  ain't  worrying  any.  When 
I  see  myself  fat  I'll  believe  it  and  not  before." 

One  day  the  dead  calm  of  sea  monotony  was 
broken  by  a  breeze  of  excitement.  It  was  morning 
and  Tom  was  at  the  wheel,  while  on  the  bridge  was 
Juarez  keeping  a  sharp  lookout,  as. was  his  custom, 
although  there  was  not  much  to  expect  in  the  way 
of  interest.  As  far  as  sighting  a  sail,  that  was 
most  unlikely,  for  this  part  of  the  ocean  through 
which  they  were  traveling  was  nothing  but  a  blue 
tfesert,  as  far  as  other  ships  were  concerned. 

"What's  that  coming  now?"  cried  Juarez.  "I 
can't  make  it  out." 


WORKING  THE  SHIP  47 

"Where?"  asked  Tom  eagerly. 

"  Low  down  on  the  northeast  quarter,"  said 
ijuarez. 

"  I  see  what  you  mean,"  remarked  Tom,  but  he 
too  was  puzzled. 

"  I'll  get  the  glass,"  suggested  Juarez. 

This  done,  he  took  a  good  long  pull  at  it,  his 
legs  well  braced  against  the  roll  of  the  ship,  and 
making  a  very  nautical  figure  indeed.  Then  he 
made  out  the  enemy  clearly;  three  big  black  hulls 
they  were,  and  then  from  the  bow  of  one  a  column 
of  steam — or  was  it  water? — went  slanting  into 
the  air.  Juarez's  frame  stiffened  with  interest  and 
excitement. 

"Whales!"  he  cried. 

"What's  that,  lad?"  It  was  the  captain,  who 
was  supposedly  asleep  in  his  cabin,  which  was  the 
deck  house,  but  he  responded  quickly  to  the  magic 
word,  "Whales." 

"  Gimme  the  glass,"  he  ordered,  his  hand  out- 
stretched. The  boys  watched  him  with  interested 
attention.  "Three  of  'em,"  he  cried.  "Gosh!  I 
wish  I  was  younger." 

By  this  time  the  whole  Frontier  gang  was  pres- 
ent on  the  quarter  deck  looking  at  the  dark  spots 
on  the  blue  ocean  that  now  had  become  visible  to 


48         FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE  SIERRAS 

the  naked  eye.  To  say  that  they  were  interested 
was  to  put  it  very  mildly.  There  was  a  strange 
interest  to  these  marine  monsters. 

"  Let's  get  one  of  those  fellows,"  cried  Juarez. 
"We  have  a  couple  of  harpoons." 
"  Get  ready,  boys,"  cried  Jim.  "  It's  a  go." 
"  What !  "  roared  the  captain.  "  You  boys  can't 
spear  a  whale  even  if  you  did  get  nigh  him.  He 
would  spank  you  to  kingdom  come  with  his  tail. 
You  stay  right  here  where  I  can  keep  an  eye  on 
you.  The  idea  of  you  tackling  a  whale.  Why,  it's 
plumb  ridiculous.  Just  a  passel  of  kittens  when  it 
comes  to  whaling."  Then  he  stopped  to  blow, 
entirely  exhausted. 


CHAPTER  VI 

DANGEROUS  WORK 

HOWEVER  foolhardy  the  proposition,  the  boys 
were  determined,  and  then  they  were  in  the  major- 
ity, so  they  overruled  the  captain.  A  chance  like 
that  was  not  to  be  permitted  to  slip.  They  had 
hunted  bears,  mountain  lions,  Indians,  outlaws, 
ducks  and  much  other  game,  but  never  had  whales 
come  within  range  before,  and  at  least  they  were 
going  to  try  to  make  their  preliminary  acquaint- 
ance. 

"  Well,  boys,  as  I  ain't  responsible  to  your 
parents,  yer  might  jest  as  well  end  yer  lives  by 
the  flap  of  a  whale's  tail  as  go  on  to  be  hung,  be- 
cause that,  in  my  opinion,  will  come  to  you  sooner 
or  later,  being  so  reckless."  But  down  in  his  heart 
the  old  fellow  was  pleased  with  their  enterprise 
and  pluck. 

"  Better  come  along  and  take  care  of  us,  Cap- 
tain," urged  Jim,  "  so  these  fellows  won't  bite  us." 

"  All  the  fishing  I'll  ever  do  now  will  be  for  min- 
nows over  the  rail,"  replied  the  captain.  "My 
whaling  days  are  over." 

49 


50         FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE  SIERRAS 

"  The  only  whaling  I  know  about,"  remarked  Jo, 
"  was  what  I  used  to  get  in  school." 

"  You  would  get  some  more  of  the  same  kind 
now,"  remarked  Jim  briefly,  "  if  I  could  spare  the 
time." 

"  Now,  you  have  to  spare  the  rod,"  replied  the 
irrepressible  and  irresponsible  Jo.  He  ducked 
quickly  as  Jim  hit  at  him,  but  there  was  no  time 
for  further  discipline  or  discussion,  so  Jo  escaped 
the  merited  punishment  that  was  due  him. 

The  boat  was  lowered,  and  the  harpoon  with 
its  apparently  endless  coil  of  rope,  was  made  ready. 
All  this  was  done  under  the  careful  instruction  of 
Captain  Kerns,  who  knew  the  business  of  whaling 
thoroughly,  and  was  determined  that  the  venture- 
some boys  should  not  be  entirely  helpless  through 
ignorance.  As  for  the  harpoon,  that  was  the  prop- 
erty originally  of  the  former  owner  of  the  Sea 
Eagle,  Captain  Bill  Broom,  of  interesting  memory. 
What  pleasure  he  would  have  felt  to  see  the  Fron- 
tier Boys  start  out  on  their  perilous  expedition,  sure 
that  the  whales  would  wreak  vengeance  upon  the 
daring  boys  who  had  finally  given  him  such  a  bitter 
defeat! 

Everything  was  now  ready,  and  the  selected 
crew  was  prepared  to  pull  away  from  the  ship. 


DANGEROUS   WORK  51 

They  were  delaying  only  for  a  few  last  words  and 
instructions.  Nor  was  the  crew  of  the  boat  made 
up  exactly  as  the  reader  might  imagine,  for  Tom 
was  left  aboard  and  Jeems  Ho  well  was  taken  in 
his  place. 

There  were  two  reasons  for  this.  In  the  first 
place,  Jeems,  though  lanky  and  thin,  was  really 
very  strong  and  could  do  better  work  at  the  oars 
than  Tom ;  the  other  reason  had  to  do  with  an  inci- 
dent that  happened  in  the  attack  the  boys  had  made 
on  a  sand  cone  in  the  crater  of  Haleakala,  the  said 
cone  being  defended  by  a  number  of  savages. 

Tom  had  at  that  time  failed  to  protect  Jim  when 
he  was  attacking  the  savages,  due  to  nervousness, 
and  Jeems  had  to  come  to  the  rescue.  I  do  not 
know  whether  he  appreciated  the  distinction  of 
being  chosen  on  this  particular  occasion  or  not,  but 
he  had  to  accept  the  honor  thus  thrust  upon  him. 

"  Good-bye,  Tom,"  cried  Jim;  "  I'll  leave  you  my 
blessing,  if  the  whale  takes  a  chaw  out  of  us." 

"  I'd  rather  you  would  leave  me  something  val- 
uable like  your  gold  watch,"  replied  the  mercenary 
Tom. 

"  I'll  make  you  my  sole  heir,  Tommy,"  cried  Jo. 
"I've  got  some  debts  back  home  that  you  can 
have."  Then  the  boat  pulled  away  from  the  shig. 


52         FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE  SIERRAS 

"  Don't  forget,  lads,"  roared  the  captain  in  fare- 
well, "  that  whales  ain't  fools  because  they  are  big. 
Look  out  for  'em/' 

"  Aye,  aye,  sir,"  came  back  the  answer  clear  and 
strong. 

"Good  luck,"  yelled  the  captain,  and  the  boys 
waved  their  hands  in  reply. 

But  no  sooner  had  they  pulled  away  than  he  got 
the  other  boat  ready  to  launch  in  case  it  should  be 
needed  and  a  couple  of  life  preservers  were  gotten 
ready,  with  a  line  attached,  for  no  one  knew  better 
than  the  old  sailor  the  dangerous  undertaking  on 
which  the  boys  had  launched. 

Meanwhile  they  were  making  good  time  over 
the  slow,  lazy  swell  towards  the  whales  that  could 
be  seen  floating  easily  along  two  miles  distant.  Jo 
was  pulling  the  stroke  oars,  and  Jeems  was  pulling 
the  other  pair  directly  behind  him.  Jo  was  a  fair 
oarsman  and  Jeems  was  capable  of  keeping  up  with 
him. 

They  discovered  that  there  was  an  excitement 
and  interest  in  rowing  on  the  ocean  that  was  not 
present  in  the  same  form  of  exercise  on  a  lake  or 
river,  for  there  was  a  vitality,  breadth  and  power 
about  the  sea  that  was  lacking  in  the  others.  I 
tell  you,  they  felt  rather  small  and  puny  as  they 


DANGEROUS   WORK  53 

pulled  the  boat  steadily  over  the  swells  that  played 
gently  with  their  craft,  as  though  the  old  ocean 
was  in  a  lazy  playful  mood,  just  like  a  tiger  when 
it  rolls  sinuously  upon  its  back  fondling  some 
object. 

Jim  was  in.  the  bow  of  the  boat,  ready  to  use  the 
harpoon  when  the  time  should  come.  Once  or 
twice  he  stood  up  in  the  bow  and  plunged  it  down 
into  the  blue  bosom  of  abounded  wave  with  all  his 
force,  the  water  slashing  white  from  the  track  of 
the  tearing  weapon. 

"  Better  save  your  strength,"  warned  Juarez,  who 
was  at  the  steering  oar. 

"  Just  getting  warmed  up,  lad,"  said  Jim. 

"  Think  you  can  fetch  him,  Jim  ?  "  inquired  Jo 
anxiously. 

"  Sure,"  replied  his  older  brother  confidently. 
"  I  reckon  a  whale  is  no  tougher  than  a  grizzly, 
and  we've  got  them." 

"  Not  with  a  harpoon,"  remarked  Jeems  Howell. 
"  You  won't  be  more  than  able  to  tickle  the  levia- 
than with  that  weapon." 

But  Jim  scoffed  at  his  prophecy,  for  there  was 
this  about  James  that  helped  him  in  a  crisis  like 
the  present,  that  he  had  perfect  confidence  in  him- 
self which  had  been  fortified  by  several  narrow 


54         FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE  SIERRAS 

^Scapes.  But  here  was  an  occasion  where  his  good 
luck  in  danger  was  apt  to  be  thoroughly  tried  out. 

"Whales  are  something  like  elephants,  it  seems 
to  me/'  said  Jeems  Howell.  "They  are  big,  dan- 
gerous and  very  intelligent." 

"  The  elephant  beats  the  whale  when  it  comes 
to  ears,"  remarked  Juarez. 

"  But  makes  it  up  with  his  tail,"  laughed  Jeems. 

"  Now,  boys,"  warned  Jim,  "  be  careful ;  no  more 
talking.  We  will  soon  be  within  range." 

A  strained,  intense  silence  settled  over  the  boat. 
All  was  expectation  and  suppressed  excitement.  I 
do  not  suppose  that  the  gentle  reader  can  realize 
the  feeling  of  the  boys  at  this  moment,  as  he  has 
probably  never  stalked  a  whale  in  the  open  ocean, 
but  perhaps  he  can  imagine  something  of  what  they 
felt. 

One  thing  favored  the  young  whale  hunters,  and 
that  was  the  fact  that  the  whales  were  taking 
things  very  softly  and  slowly,  their  big  bodies 
barely  moving  through  the  water.  They  seemed  to 
be  enjoying  the  calm  of  the  clear  morning,  and 
were  taking  an  ocean  stroll  as  it  were. 

The  bull,  some  sixty  feet  in  length,  was  in  the 
lead ;  at  some  little  distance  to  the  east  was  the  cow 
and  a  young  whale  near  her  side.  It  was  a  wonder- 


DANGEROUS   WORK  55 

ful  sight  to  see  the  big  black  fellow  forging  slowly 
in  advance,  his  head  a  long,  square  promontory  ris- 
ing from  the  water,  and  his  body  a  half-submerged 
island. 

But  what  power  and  strength  was  there  in  that 
great  body  and  what  temerity  it  was  for  the  boys 
to  tackle  him;  they  should  have  been  glad  to  let 
him  go  on  his  way  unmolested,  if  he  would  do  the 
same  for  them.  But  the  boys  had  no  such  thought. 
Under  the  silent  direction  of  Jim's  hand  the  boat 
made  a  circle  and  swept  around  back  of  the  great 
mammal  coming  up  on  the  far  side.  As  the  chase 
came  near  its  end  the  pulses  of  the  boys  quickened. 
There  was  a  wonderful  excitement  in  closing  in 
with  this  king  of  all  the  oceans. 

Jim  crouched  in  the  bow,  the  harpoon  clutched 
in  his  right  hand.  Now  the  boat  was  within  fifty 
feet  of  the  whale,  who  was  evidently  not  yet  aware 
of  their  near  proximity,  as  he  could  not  see  any- 
thing approaching  along  the  side.  It  was  indeed  a 
thrilling  moment.  Jim  rose  to  his  full  height  in 
the  bow,  with  the  harpoon  poised  above  his 
shoulder,  a  powerful  and  athletic  figure. 

The  boat  was  now  alongside  the  monster,  and 
then  with  all  his  strength  of  body,  arm  and 
shoulder,  he  plunged  the  harpoon  down  deep  into 


56         FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE  SIERRAS 

the  great  black  body,  following  the  instructions  of 
the  captain  as  near  as  he  could;  he  was  but  an 
amateur,  after  all,  and  he  missed  a  vital  spot. 

"  Back  up,  boys ! "  he  yelled. 

Down  dug  the  poised  oars  into  the  water,  and  the 
boat  tried  frantically  to  get  out  of  the  deadly  cir- 
cumference of  the  wounded  \rhale's  wrath.  In- 
stead of  sounding  down,  as  he  would  have  done  if 
vitally  wounded,  he  thrashed  and  pounded  the  ocean 
into  foam.  There  was  no  escape  for  the  boat 
apparently. 

With  an  exclamation  of  horror,  Captain  Kerns 
turned  his  ship's  prow  straight  for  the  scene  of  the 
disaster,  for  he  saw  what  had  happened.  It  was 
enough  to  startle  even  a  man  so  hardened  to  sights 
of  danger  as  the  captain.  As  for  Tom,  when  he 
saw  the  beginning  of  the  accident,  he  pressed  his 
hand  close  against  his  eyes  to  shut  out  what  prom- 
ised to  be  terrible  destruction  for  his  two  brothers, 
and  his  two  tried  comrades. 

Pete  was  at  the  wheel,  his  old  weathered  face 
pale  and  intent  upon  the  scene  not  so  distant.  He 
had  grown  fond  of  the  boys  and  could  scarcely 
bear  to  look  upon  their  overwhelming  danger. 


CHAPTER  VII 

WHAT  THEY   SAW 

WHEN  the  whale  was  in  his  first  flurry  of  pain,  he 
sent  the  boat  high  into  the  air  with  one  stroke  of 
his  mighty  tail,  and  like  loose  articles  the  boys 
were  scattered  out  of  it  into  the  boiling  vortex  of 
water.  This  was  the  sight  that  had  called  forth 
the  alarm  on  board  the  Sea  Eagle,  and  made  the 
captain  spring  to  quick  action. 

No  time  was  to  be  lost,  for  the  boys  were  as 
helpless  as  straws  in  the  maelstrom.  One  thing 
was  fortunate,  they  were  all  pretty  fair  swimmers, 
but  that  would  not  help  them  if  the  whale  should, 
in  his  fury,  chance  to  see  them.  But  here,  their 
very  insignificance  saved  them  from  his  first  rush. 
The  mother  and  her  young  had  taken  the  alarm  and 
were  forging  away  to  the  southward. 

The  boys  were  now  but  several  dark  spots  in 
the  swirling  waters.  Jo  had  the  closest  call,  for 
one  of  the  flukes  of  the  whale's  tail  swept  a  huge 
wave  over  him,  and  he  thought  he  was  going  to  be 
carried  to  the  bottom  of  the  ocean.  Jim  at  the  very 
first  had  called  out  a  warning,  "Boys,  keep  away 

57 


58         FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE   SIERRAS 

from  the  boat."  It  was  a  lucky  thing  that  he  did 
so.  For  as  soon  as  the  whale  caught  sight  of  it  he 
made  a  furious  surge  for  it,  and,  opening  his  great 
jaws,  he  caught  it  squarely  across  the  middle. 

There  was  a  crunching  sound,  only  more  intense, 
as  when  a  dog  crushes  a  bone.  As  Jo  said  after- 
ward, "  It  wasn't  more  than  a  toothpick  for  him." 
Meanwhile  the  boys  were  swimming  in  the  opposite 
direction  as  fast  as  their  arms  and  feet  could  propel 
them.  The  whale  now  became  aware  of  a  new 
enemy  bearing  down  upon  him. 

Only  this  was  even  larger  than  he  was,  tfiougS 
of  the  same  color.  It  was  making  a  chug-chug 
sound  as  it  came  towards  him.  In  the  dim  brain  of 
the  whale  was  an  idea  struggling  for  birth.  Was 
this  a  strange  sea  monster  that  was  going  to  con- 
test with  him  the  supremacy  of  the  seas,  or  was 
it  some  of  his  antediluvian  ancestors  come  back 
to  earth,  I  mean  to  sea,  again? 

There  the  reasoning  of  the  whale  stopped.  A! 
sudden  blind  fury  came  over  him  and  he  charged 
for  the  Sea  Eagle.  Two  rifle  shots  rang  out  from 
the  deck  of  the  ship,  and  one  tore  deep  into  the 
black  carcass.  Then  the  monster  threw  his  flukes 
into  the  air  and  down  he  sounded  towards  the 
depths  of  the  sea. 


WHAT   THEY  SAW  59 

In  a  moment  the  yacht  was  alongside  the  ex- 
hausted swimmers,  and  they  were  hauled  aboard. 
Jeems  Ho  well  was  about  done  for,  and  had  to  be 
worked  over  for  some  time;  Jo  also  had  shipped 
considerable  salt  water,  but  Jim  and  Juarez  were  in 
tolerable  condition  considering  the  experience  they 
had  been  through. 

"I  hope  you  lads  are  satisfied  now,"  grumbled 
the  captain. 

"He  chawed  our  boat  to  kindling  wood,"  said 
Jim,  looking  ruefully  to  where  the  fragments 
strewed  the  sea. 

"  He  would  have  done  the  same  by  you,  if  we 
hadn't  come  along,"  remarked  the  captain. 
"  Served  you  right,  too." 

"  I  hate  not  getting  him,  that's  what  worries  me," 
said  Jim. 

"  How  did  you  feel  when  he  tilted  you  and  the 
boat  up  in  the  air  ?  "  inquired  Tom  curiously. 

"  Can't  say,"  replied  Jim.  "It  was  so  sudden, 
and  I  didn't  take  any  notes." 

"I  felt  like  I  was  going  to  be  another  Jonah," 
remarked  Jo  feebly. 

"  He's  the  Jonah,"  remarked  the  captain,  point- 
ing a  contemptuous  thumb  at  Jeems,  who  had  just 
gotten  to  his  feet. 


60         FRONTIER  BOYS  W   THE   SIERRAS 

"How  can  I  ever  thank  you,  Captain?"  asked 
Jeems  Howell,  who  had  a  sly  streak  of  humor  at 
times.  "You  saved  my  life  at  the  risk  of^your 

own.    It  was  a  noble  deed,  and  one  long " 

"  Oh,  g'wan  with  you,"  cried  the  captain, 
don't  want  none  of  your  banquet  speeches." 

To   escape   the   infliction,   he    retreated   to   the 
quarter  deck,  where  he  stood  ready  to  repel  any 
thankful   survivors    who  might  creep  upon  1 
Tom  was  busy  asking  questions  about  the  whole 
unfortunate  business,  for  he  had  a  very  inquisitive 
mind,  had  Tom.    Jeems,  however,  was  the  only  c 
among  the  gallant  survivors  inclined  to  humor  him. 
Jim  was  looking,  longingly   over  the  expanse  of 
ocean,  not  thinking  of  his  dripping  clothes,  but  as 
though  he  had  lost  something,  as  indeed  he  had. 
He  was  minus  one  large  whaleboat  and  one  small 
boat.     It  was  not  the  boat,  however,  that  he  was 
looking  for,  and  no  one  but  Jim  would  have  taken 
a  continued  interest  in  his  whaleship  but  would 
have  given  him  up  for  lost. 

"There  he  blows!"  he  cried  suddenly, 
try  for  him  again." 

«  No  more  of  that,"  roared  the  captain, 
while  I'm  alive  on  this  boat/'    Jim  smiled.    He  had 
not  really  intended  to  go  after  him  in  the  boat 


WHAT   THEY  SAW  6r 

because  he  realized  how  foolhardy  such  a  perform- 
ance would  be,  but  he  had  another  scheme  in  mind, 
and  he  prepared  to  carry  it  out. 

"  Come  on,  boys,  let's  give  him  a  shot  from  the 
cannon,"  he  cried. 

"  That's  the  idea !  "  exclaimed  Juarez.  "  We  will 
bring  the  ship  up  close  enough  to  get  a  good  aim." 

"  I'd  like  to  get  even  with  him  for  the  kick  he 
gave  me,"  cried  Jo  viciously. 

"  Well,  you  boys  are  the  beatingest,"  remarked 
the  captain. 

But  he  made  no  objection  to  this  plan,  and  took 
the  wheel  himself,  so  as  to  maneuver  the  Sea  Eagle 
to  within  good  striking  distance  of  the  big  mam- 
mal. Meanwhile,  the  boys  lost  no  time  in  getting 
the  small  cannon  ready  for  the  fray.  All  was  ex- 
citement and  energy.  Here  was  a  target  worth 
shooting  at.  The  whale  seemed  to  be  resting  after 
his  recent  exertions,  and  was  rolling  easily  on  the 
surface  of  the  ocean. 

Tom  stripped  the  jacket  of  canvas  from  the  shin- 
ing gun  of  brass,  Juarez  and  Jo  got  the  ammuni- 
tion from  the  hold,  and  soon  had  the  charge  ready 
to  fire.  Jim  stood  prepared  to  aim.  The  boys 
waited  impatiently  for  the  right  moment  to  come. 
When  the  yacht  would  be  as  close  to  the  quarry 


62         FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE  SIERRAS 

as  Jt  would  be  wise  to  venture.  Steadily  the  little 
ship  bore  down  toward  the  whale,  keeping  half 
quartered  to  it. 

It  seemed  that  he  must  take  alarm  and  the  boys 
held  their  breath  in  fear  lest  the  monster  should 
take  fright  and  make  a  sudden  disappearance  into 
the  depths.  The  harpoon  still  sticking  high  up 
on  his  side  gave  a  line  to  aim  by.  Then  Jim  de- 
pressed the  muzzle  of  the  cannon  until  it  was  point 
blank  at  the  long  black  target  now  shelving  up 
from  the  blue  surface  of  the  ocean.  Just  as  the 
whale  wakened  to  his  danger,  Jim  pulled  the  lan- 
yard and  fired.  There  was  a  roar,  a  white  gush  of 
smoke,  and  the  shell  tore  into  the  vitals  of  the  great 
whale. 

Then  there  was  action  to  which  the  disturbance 
when  the  whale  was  harpooned  was  a  mere  flurry. 
He  thrashed  the  ocean  into  foam  and  the  blood 
from  his  wound  dyed  the  waters  crimson.  At  last 
he  rose  bodily  in  the  air  and  fell  back  upon  the 
surface  of  the  ocean  with  a  mighty  whack  that 
could  have  been  heard  for  miles.  The  waters  re- 
treated from  his  fall  in  great  waves  that  made  the 
little  steamer  rock. 

There  was  great  jubilation  on  the  deck  of  the 
Sea  Eagle  when  Jim  made  that  shot,  which  was  not 


WHAT   THEY  SAW  63 

so  remarkable  either,  when  one  considers  the  size 
of  the  target  and  the  nearness  of  the  object  aimed 
at.  But  the  captain  was  decidedly  enthusiastic 
over  Jim's  success,  and  clapped  him  heartily  on  the 
back  with  manifest  approval. 

"You  ought  to  be  in  the  navy,  lad,"  he  cried. 
"  You  are  a  born  American  gunner.  Old  Paul 
Jones  ought  to  have  had  you." 

"That  wasn't  a  hard  shot,  Captain,"  remarked 
Jim.  "  It  was  your  navigating  that  really  deserves 
the  credit." 

"  Too  bad  we  have  to  leave  him,"  said  the  cap- 
tain. "  That  fellow  would  be  good  for  a  lot  of  oil." 

"  I  should  like  a  closer  look  at  him,"  urged  Jim. 
"  I  believe  I'll  lower  the  other  boat  and  board  him." 

"  I  reckon  he  can't  do  you  any  harm  now,  Skip- 
per," said  the  captain,  "  and  I  suppose  a  whale 
does  look  cur'us  to  you.  I  see  by  that  harpoon  that 
you  made  a  pretty  good  shot  with  the  iron ;  just  a 
little  nearer  to  the  shoulder  and  you  would  have 
fetched  him." 

The  boat  was  all  ready  to  lower  and  in  a  jiffy 
they  had  it  in  the  water.  Tom  was  allowed  to  go 
along  this  time,  but  Jeems  Howell  was  among  the 
missing,  he  absolutely  and  steadfastly  refused  to  go 
on  the  excursion. 


64         FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE  SIERRAS 

"  Come  along,  Jeems,"  urged  Jo.  "  You  never 
saw  a  dead  whale." 

"  But  I  have  seen  a  live  one,  and  my  curiosity 
is  satisfied,"  replied  Jeems. 

"  He  won't  bite  you,  jump  in,"  said  Tom,  who 
was  quite  brave  now. 

"How  do  I  know  that  he  is  really  dead?"  re- 
plied Jeems.  "  Like  as  not  he  will  give  a  last  flop 
and  crush  you.  The  deck  for  me." 

Realizing  that  it  was  useless  to  urge  Jeems  ttie 
boys  pulled  away  from  the  Sea  Eagle,  and  rowed 
over  to  the  4ead  whale. 

"  My !  but  he  is  a  monster,"  said  Juarez.  "  Let's 
board  him." 

"All  right,"  agreed  Jim. 

So  Tom  jammed  the  bow  of  the  boat  against  the 
whale's  side,  and  the  three  J's — Jim,  Joe  and 
Juarez — made  a  landing  on  Whale  Island.  It  made 
Jo  feel  a  little  squeamish  standing  upon  the  mass 
of  the  dead  monster  that  yielded  under  his  foot. 
It  seemed  that  his  tread  must  surely  cause  the 
whale  to  make  a  final  effort  to  get  rid  of  his 
enemies. 

"  He  must  be  all  of  seventy  feet,"  cried  Jim, 
pacing  as  far  as  he  could. 

"  His  head  is  eight  or  ten  feet  long,"  said  Juarez. 


WHAT  THEY  SAW  65 

"Too  bad  you  can't  take  some  of  him  for  a 
souvenir,"  said  Tom. 

"  We  are  mighty  glad  that  he  didn't  get  any 
of  us  for  a  souvenir,"  remarked  Jo. 

"  I'm  going  to  get  my  harpoon  any  way,"  said 
Jim.  As  he  wrenched  at  it,  the  whale  suddenly 
rose  with  a  gentle  heave,  and  Jo  was  almost 
paralyzed  with  fright,  and  even  Juarez  turned 
somewhat  pale.  However,  it  was  only  an  un- 
usually large  wave  that  had  raised  the  whale  up 
and  allowed  the  placid  carcass  to  slide  down  again. 

"  Ahoy  there,  squall  coming ! "  hailed  the  cap- 
tain's voice  from  the  quarter  deck  of  the  Sea  Eagle. 
"  Get  aboard  quick." 

The  boys  obeyed,  but  with  obvious  reluctance, 
for  the  whale  had  much  of  interest  for  them  yet. 
But  they  saw  the  squall  whitening  over  the  ocean 
from  the  northwest  quarter,  and  coming  with  great 
rapidity. 

"  We  don't  want  to  worry  the  old  man  any  more 
to-day,"  suggested  Jim,  "so  we  will  pull  for  the 
shore." 


CHAPTER  VIII 

A  RACE 

EVEN  then  they  were  none  too  quick,  for  as 
they  were  swinging  the  boat  to  the  davits  the  squall 
struck  the  Sea  Eagle,  heeling  her  well  over,  and 
there  was  a  rush  and  roar  of  wind  and  flying  spray 
from  the  yeasty  seas.  It  was  fun  while  it  lasted. 
The  prow  of  the  ship  was  turned  eastward  once 
more,  leaving  the  whale,  but  not  alone. 

Already  the  birds  were  gathering  to  their  feast, 
and  from  all  directions  cut  the  dark-finned  sharks 
to  get  their  share.  In  a  short  time  all  was  tur- 
moil about  the  whale,  fluttering  wings  and  whirl- 
ing foamy  water.  This  was  too  good  a  target  for 
the  boys,  so  they  decided  to  give  the  crazy  cannibal 
crew  a  surprise. 

"  Let's  give  those  beggars  a  farewell  salute, 
Juarez,"  cried  Jim. 

"  I'm  with  you,"  he  replied. 

"What's  the  distance?"  inquired  Jo. 

"  Quarter  of  a  mile,"  hazarded  Tom. 

"  It's  nearer  a  half,"  replied  Jim. 
v  "  It  don't  look  it,"  put  in  Jo. 

cs 


A   RACE  67 

"  That's  because  objects  on  the  ocean  seem 
nearer  than  they  do  on  land." 

"Why  is  that  so?"  inquired  the  ever  inquisitive 
Tom. 

Jim  was  clearly  stumped  by  this  inquiry,  but  he 
did  not  let  on  that  he  was  puzzled  in  the  least. 

"  No  time  to  tell  you  now.  That  gun  is  about 
ready  to  fire." 

"You  don't  know,"  jeered  Tom,  "that's   just 


an  excuse." 


"  Show  you  later  if  you  can't  study  it  out  for 
yourself,"  remarked  Jim  nonchalantly. 

Juarez  now  had  the  cannon  loaded  and  ready  to 
fire.  The  Sea  Eagle  was  moving  obliquely  away 
from  the  storm-center  and  it  was  a  very  difficult 
shot,  but  still  a  possible  one  on  account  of  the  size 
of  the  target.  The  old  captain  took  much  interest 
in  the  skill  of  his  protege  Jim,  whom  he  considered 
worthy  to  be  enrolled  in  the  straight-shooting 
American  navy.  He  stood  with  his  sturdy  figure 
well  braced  and  the  glass  in  hand  ready  to  mark 
a  successful  shot. 

"  Don't  you  think  you  have  got  that  weepin' 
raised  a  leetle  too  high?"  he  inquired  anxiously  of 
Jim. 

"  I'm  aiming  a  little  over,  sir,"  replied  Jim,  "  be- 


68         FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE  SIERRAS 

cause  I  think  the  shell  will  fall  a  little  in  that  dis- 
tance." 

"  I  guess  you  know  your  business  better  than  I 
do,  Skipper,"  replied  the  captain.  "  I  was  no  shot 
'cept  with  a  blunderbuss  that  would  scatter." 

"Make  a  bull's-eye,  Jim,"  urged  Juarez. 

"You  mean  a  whale's  eye,"  put  in  Jo. 

"Humph!"  said  Jim,  "don't  talk  that  way; 
you  will  make  me  miss." 

"You  mean "  Jo  got  no  further,  for  Jim 

held  up  a  cautionary  hand. 

"  Ready  now,"  he  cried. 

The  captain  clapped  the  spy-glass  to  his  eye, 
there  was  a  roar  and  the  quarter-deck  shook  under 
their  feet,  then  the  captain  shook  the  glass  above 
his  head. 

"Yer  struck  into  the  shark  gang,  Skipper,"  he 
cried,  "  I  said  you  would  be  a  recruit  for  John  Paul 
Jones." 

"  Let  me  have  a  chance,"  said  Jo. 

"All  right,"  agreed  Jim,  "I  don't  want  to  be 
a  hog." 

So  Jo  took  his  turn.  With  due  deliberation  he 
aimed  the  shining  little  cannon  aft  toward  the  dis- 
tant fray.  Then  he  fired,  but  the  shot  sent  up  a 
spurt  from  a  wave  some  distance  short. 


A   RACE  65 

"We  are  getting  too  far  away,"  said  Jim,  "to 
get  in  an  accurate  shot." 

"  Say,  Jim,"  put  in  Tom,  "  you  haven't  told  me 
•why  things  seem  closer  on  the  ocean  than  they  do 
on  land."  If  pertinacity  meant  success  in  life,  Tom 
Darlington  would  no  doubt  reach  the  top  of  the 
ladder.  Jim  was  somewhat  surprised,  and  he  did 
not  want  to  admit  ignorance,  so  he  sparred  for 
time. 

"  Now,  Thomas,"  said  James,  "  I  am  not  paid  to 
do  your  thinking  for  you,  but  if  you  will  sit  down 
and  think  for  ten  minutes  and  if  at  the  end  of  that 
time  you  have  not  reached  a  logical  conclusion,  I 
will  explain  the  matter  to  you." 

"  Ho !  Professor ! "  railed  Tom,  pulling  out  his 
silver  timepiece,  which  was  so  heavy  that  it  would 
be  a  dangerous  weapon  if  thrown,  "  if  you  ain't 
ready  with  your  explanation  you  will  lose  your 
place." 

Jim  took  this  warning  with  perfect  nonchalance, 
but  his  mind  was  very  active  just  the  same  trying 
to  solve  this  problem,  because  Tom  would  never  let 
up  on  him  if  he  found  out  that  he  was  bluffing. 
But  why  was  an  object  nearer,  anyway,  in  appear- 
ance on  the  ocean  than  on  land?  Why?  Perhaps 
it  was  the  difference  in  atmosphere.  Not  for  in 


70         FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE  SIERRAS 

high  altitudes  things  appeared  closer  on  account  of 
the  clarity  of  the  air  than  they  did  at  sea  level. 

Six  minutes  passed,  still  no  answer  had  come  to 
Jim,  yet  he  was  perfectly  calm  and  contained  as 
though  he  were  the  perfection  of  wisdom.  He 
folded  his  arms  across  his  chest  and  regarded  Tom 
serenely  as  he  sat  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  deck 
on  a  coil  of  rope,  regarding  his  big  brother  skeptic- 
ally. Eight  minutes  had  passed,  and  Tom,  taking 
out  his  watch,  recorded  the  fact  with  quiet  triumph. 

"Eight  minutes  and  a  quarter,"  he  declared, 
"  and  no  land  in  sight  yet." 

"Eight  and  a  half,"  he  tolled,  "nine!"  Jim  was 
apparently  entirely  composed,  but  his  mind  had  not 
yet  reached  a  complete  explanation.  It  was,  how- 
ever, on  the  right  track,  but  the  time  was  short. 

"Ten,"  cried  Tom.     "Speak  up,  Professor." 

"  #'s  your  place  first,"  he  replied. 

"Give  it  up." 

"  Now  listen  carefully,"  b'egan  Jim  in  a  magis- 
terial manner,  "  and  if  there  is  anything  you  don't 
quite  understand,  raise  your  hand." 

"  Humph ! "  grunted  Tom,  "  I  guess  that  I  can 
understand  anything  you  can  tell  me." 

"Well,  children,  it's  this  way,"  continued  Jim. 
"  When  you  are  upon  the  land  and  you  look  at 


A   RACE  71 

something  in  the  distance  your  eyesight  is  stretched 
from  point  to  point  by  intervening  objects,  while 
on  the  ocean  your  vision  instead  of  being  stretched 
out  collapses  as  it  were  because  there  is  a  monoto- 
nous level  between  your  'eye  and  the  object.  Now  I 
hope  you  will  remember  what  I  have  juat  told  you, 
children.  School  is  dismissed." 

Jo  seemed  to  be  unduly  impressed  with  the  idea 
that  he  was  a  schoolboy  again,  so  he  grabbed  Tom's 
hat  and  made  as  if  he  was  going  to  throw  it  over- 
board. Tom  made  a  grab  for  Jo  and  missed,  then 
there  was  a  great  chase  around  the  main  deck. 
Jo  was  very  fleet  of  foot  and  gained  on  his  pur- 
suer, until  Tom  saw  that  he  must  resort  to  strata- 
gem; so  no  sooner  had  Jo  disappeared  around  the 
corner  of  the  quarter  deck  than  Tom  doubled  back 
on  his  own  trail,  to  the  cook's  galley,  that  had  a 
door  opening  on  either  side,  so  that  one  could 
step  into  either  passageway. 

Tom  leaped  into  the  galley,  and  was  quick  to 
the  other  door,  that  he  opened  a  wee  bit;  he  saw 
that  Jo  had  just  swerved  into  the  passageway  and 
down  he  came  full  tilt  toward  where  Tom  lay  in 
ambush,  s\vinging  the  latter 's  captured  hat  in  his 
hand.  Tom  watched  him  eagerly,  then  he  sprang 
out  from  his  hiding  place  directly  in  front  of  the 


72         FRONTIER   BOYS  IN    THE   SIERRAS 

flying  Jo,  who  was  utterly  surprised,  but  he  was 
under  such  headway  that  he  could  not  stop. 

Tom  met  him  squarely  and  down  they  went  in 
a  heap,  the  lurch  of  the  ship  sending  Jo's  head 
heavily  against  an  iron  stanchion.  His  body 
gave  a  jerk  and  quiver,  then  he  stretched  out 
unconscious.  We  all  know  that  skylarking  of  that 
kind  sometimes  produces  the  worst  accidents. 
Naturally  Tom  was  terribly  frightened,  for  he 
thought  Jo  was  killed,  and  he  did  look  it,  stretched 
out,  with  his  eyes  closed. 

"  Jim !  "  cried  Tom,  "  Jim !  come  here  quick." 

There  was  something  in  Tom's  voice  that  made 
Jim  appear  in  a  hurry. 

"  Get  the  brandy,"  he  said.  Tom  lost  no  time 
in  getting  the  bottle  out  of  a  locker  in  the  main 
cabin.  When  he  returned  he  found  Juarez  and 
Jeems  standing  near  looking  very  sober,  while  the 
old  captain  and  Jim  worked  over  him. 

The  Frontier  Boys  had  gone  through  many 
dangers  unscathed,  and  it  seemed  terrible*  that  Jo 
should  be  so  badly  hurt  in  a  moment  of  play.  In 
fifteen  minutes'  time,  however,  Jo  was  partially 
himself,  but  he  could  not  walk  and  had  to  be 
helped  to  his  cabin,  and  that  night  he  had  a  high1 
fever,  but  next  day  he  was  quite  himself,  due 
mainly  to  a  rugged  constitution. 


A   RACE  73 

A  few  days  later  the  weather  began  to  change. 
The  sea  became  rough  and  boisterous,  with  head 
winds  and  decidedly  colder,  but  the  boys  did  not 
complain,  in  fact  they  rather  liked  it,  as  they  were 
strong  and  hardy  and  enjoyed  battling  with  the  ele- 
ments. 

"  It's  the  sweaters  for  us  now,"  said  Jo,  coming 
out  on  deck,'  to  find  the  nasty  gray  sea  swept  by 
rain  squalls,  and  the  deck  sodden  and  the  sky 
sullen. 

"  I  like  it,"  declared  Juarez,  "  the  tropics  are  all 
right  for  a  few  weeks,  but  I  couldn't  stand  it  for 
long." 

"  That's  because  you  lads  are  stormy  petrels,"  re- 
marked Jeems. 

"  If  by  that  poetic  symbol  you  mean  that  we  are 
always  in  trouble,"  replied  Jim,  "you  certainly 
have  struck  it." 

Then  the  boys  went  below  to  get  their  respective 
sweaters,  the  colors  being  chosen  according  to  their 
individual  taste.  Tom's  was  black,  which  is  no  in- 
sinuation against  his  character;  Jim's  was  blue; 
Juarez  the  same  color  and  Jo's  red.  As  for  hats, 
they  still  wore  their  weather-beaten  sombreros. 
They  were  just  the  hats  for  this  kind  of  weather. 

The  evening  came  on  dark  and  blustery  and  with 
a  steady  beating  rain  from  the  northwest.  All 


74         FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE  SIERRAS 

about,  the  seas  were  humping  through  the  dark- 
ness. But  the  Sea  Eagle  was  a  staunch  boat,  well 
built,  and  well  ballasted,  and  though  she  shipped  a 
few  seas  and  the  spray  flew  high  over  her  bridge, 
she  did  not  roll  or  plunge  unduly. 

"  Sort  of  a  nasty  night,  Jim,"  remarked  Jo,  as 
their  dark  forms  emerged  on  deck  from  the  com- 
panionway. 

"  It's  dark  and  threatening,"  replied  Jim,  "  and 
looks  fierce,  but  for  real  high  rolling  give  me  that 
first  night  in  the  channel  between  Maui  and 
Hawaii." 

Jo  made  some  remark,  but  a  sudden  gust  of  wind 
took  it  out  of  his  mouth  and  anyone  to  leeward 
would  have  got  the  benefit  of  it.  The  only  light 
forward  was  a  glow  that  came  from  the  engine- 
room.  Jim  and  Jo  stepped  inside  out  of  the  storm 
and  found  Juarez  there  as  usual,  and  Tom  was 
seated  on  a  step.  He  was  watching  the  two  men 
moving  around  the  shining  engine,  which  worked 
smoothly  and  unceasingly,  and  its  condition  showed 
how  carefully  it  was  tended. 

"  Gosh !  but  it  is  good  to  get  inside  here  out  of 
the  storm,"  exclaimed  Jim.  The  engineer  nodded 
pleasantly,  as  he  was  a  man  of  few  words. 


CHAPTER   IX 

THE    ENGINEER 

THE  engineer  of  the  Sea  Eagle  has  not  received 
much  attention,  either  in  this  book  or  in  the  one 
just  preceding,  but  this  is  not  because  he,  John  Ber- 
wick, was  not  worthy  of  consideration,  but  because 
he  was  apparently  a  very  quiet  man,  whose  con- 
versation was  generally  confined  to  monosyllables; 
likewise  his  work  kept  him  out  of  the  limelight,  as 
it  were. 

But  word  had  come  via  Juarez,  who  of  all  the 
crew  was  the  only  one  whom  the  engineer  admitted 
into  his  confidence  to  any  degree,  that  John  Ber- 
wick had  really  a  most  interesting  career.  This 
was  true  to  a  far  greater  extent  than  the  boys 
knew.  A  sailor  like  old  Pete  or  a  mariner  like 
Captain  Kerns  would  see  the  shores  of  many  coun- 
tries and  land  in  numerous  ports,  but  learn  nothing 
of  the  real  people,  or  the  nature  of  the  countries. 

But  with  the  engineer  it  had  been  an  entirely 
different  proposition.  He  came  of  a  good  family 
and  had  received  an  excellent  education,  but  from 
his  youth  he  had  been  wild  and  adventurous,  and 

75 


76         FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE   SIERRAS 

was  always  traveling,  by  different  ways  and  in  vary- 
ing occupations,  going  into  the  interiors  of  little- 
known  countries  and  becoming  acquainted  with  the 
nature  and  character  of  their  inhabitants. 

As  he  is  a  man  well  worth  knowing,  I  will  de- 
scribe his  appearance  for  the  benefit  of  the  reader. 
As  to  age,  John  Berwick  might  be  anywhere  from 
thirty-five  to  forty  years.  In  height,  five  feet  nine, 
with  rather  square  shoulders,  and  neither  light  nor 
heavy  in  build,  but  with  a  frame  that  indicated 
quickness  and  great  powers  of  endurance. 

He  was  evidently  one  of  those  men  who  have  a 
certain  care  to  their  physical  condition,  without 
overdoing  it  and  making  physical  prowess  a  hobby. 
He  had  found  out  the  value  of  health,  and  condi- 
tion. In  his  travels  in  remote  lands,  if  he  had  got- 
ten sick,  there  would  be  no  one  to  bother  with 
him,  and  he  would  be  left  to  die,  so  he  reasoned 
that  it  was  better  to  be  a  live  man  than  something 
more  wretched  than  a  sick  dog. 

"  I  used  to  smoke  like  a  chimney,  Ezac,"  he  once 
said  to  Juarez.  He  never  called  the  latter  by  his 
full  name,  it  being  either  "  War  "  or  "  Ezac,"  ac- 
cording to  his  mood,  "  but  I  quit  about  five  years 
ago.  I  didn't  make  any  resolution  about  it  either 
and  would  smoke  now  if  I  wished  to." 


THE   ENGINEER  77 

"  I  suppose  you  felt  miserable  for  a  while  after 
you  quit  ?  "  said  Juarez. 

"  No,  strange  to  say,  I  didn't.  In  fact,  I  began 
to  feel  fine  and  fit  in  a  week  or  two  and  I  found 
that  I  could  meet  any  crisis  that  came  up  on  the 
level,  and  did  not  have  to  make  an  effort  of  the  will 
to  step  up  to  it  and  brace  myself  to  it  as  I  used  to. 
But  I'm  not  preaching.  Smoke  if  you  want  to, 
Ezac." 

"  I  don't  want  to,"  replied  Juarez,  "  and  what's 
the  use  of  taking  up  with  something  you  don't  care 
for?  Just  so  much  extra  baggage."  Berwick 
smiled  at  this,  showing  his  fine  white  teeth. 

"Well,  now,  'War,'  that's  unusual  sense  for  a 
kid,  I  must  say.  The  fact  that  you  don't  want  a 
thing  for  a  boy  of  your  years  is  no  argument.  It 
may  be  smoking  or  chewing  or  something  else  that 
will  make  'em  devilish  sick,  but  a  kid  will  do  it 
just  for  a  show  and  to  make  an  impression  on  his 
friends  what  a  terrible  character  he  is." 

"  None  of  us  are  like  that,"  said  Jaurez.  "  Per- 
haps it  is  because  we  have  seen  plenty  of  real  life 
on  the  frontier  and  have  had  plenty  of  excitement 
and  adventure  without  resorting  to  foolishness." 

"  Something  in  that,  Ezac,"  nodded  Berwick. 

This  will  serve  as  an  introduction  to  this  inter- 


78         FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE  SIERRAS 

esting  man,  before  we  listen,  with  the  Frontier 
Boys,  to  the  story  that  he  has  to  tell.  I  may  add 
here  that  John  Berwick  had  dark  hair,  thinning  in 
front  and  brushed  straight  with  the  forehead,  dark 
hazel  eyes,  generally  pleasant  in  expression,  but 
capable  of  becoming  harsh  and  hard  with  anger. 
He  wore  a  rather  slight  dark  moustache  above  a 
mouth  thin-lipped  and  wide.  The  chin  was  square, 
and  the  whole  complexion  of  the  face  rather  dark. 

The  boys  had  never  gathered  before  in  the  engine- 
room  in  a  body,  and  as  Jeems  How  ell's  tall  figure 
loomed  in  the  doorway  the  gathering  was  complete. 
It  was  because  the  boys  had  never  imposed 
on  him  that  the  engineer  was  inclined  to  be 
gracious,  on  this  occasion.  Then,  too,  there  was 
something  about  the  warm  interior  of  the  engine- 
room,  contrasted  with  the  storm  outside,  that  lent 
itself  to  good  comradeship  and  anecdote. 

"I  suppose  that  you  boys  have  never  traveled 
a  great  deal,  except  in  the  West,  have  you  ?  "  ques- 
tioned John  Berwick. 

"That's  right,  Mr.  Berwick/'  said  Jim;  "we  ex- 
pect to  visit  a  few  other  countries,  though,  before 
long,  if  we  find  this  *  Lost  Mine '  we  are  looking 
for.  You  know  you  can't  travel  without  money." 

"  Not  in  your  own  yacht,"  replied  Berwick. 


THE   ENGINEER  79 

"I  generally  walked,  or,"  seeing  a  gleam  of 
liumor  in  Jim's  eye,  "  or  worked  my  passage." 

"We  will  stick  to  our  yacht,"  remarked  Jim, 
*'  seeing  that  we  have  it  on  our  hands." 

"  Quite  right,  too,"  replied  the  engineer. 

"  You  must  have  had  some  rather  unusual  ex- 
periences in  your  travels,"  prompted  Jo. 

"  Juarez  says  that  you  have  been  pretty  much  all 
over  the  world." 

"  That's  so,"  replied  the  engineer,  "  but  I  do  not 
Icnow  as  I  have  learned  enough  to  pay  me  for  the 
exertion." 

"  Tell  the  boys  about  that  time  you  traveled  in 
Russia,"  said  Juarez. 

"  Which  time  ?  "  questioned  Berwick. 

"Don't  you  know?"  asked  Juarez,  slightly  con- 
fused, "  when  you  were  riding  in  the  railroad  car- 
riage?" 

"  And  got  rather  hungry  ?  " 

"Sure,  that's  it,"  said  Juarez,  smiling. 

"  That's  only  an  anecdote,"  replied  the  engineer. 
"  But  I  will  tell  it  if  you  think  it  will  interest." 

Being  assured  on  this  point,  he  began : 

"  I  suppose  you  boys  know  what  it  is  to  be 
hungry  ?  " 

"  I  have  got  a  pretty  good  idea  of  it  after  eating 


8o         FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE   SIERRAS 

one  of  Tom's  dinners,"  remarked  Jim.  "  You  see 
he  don't  believe  in  having  anything  left  over. 
Thinks  it's  wasteful,  so  he  just  cooks  dabs  of 
things  as  though  we  had  no  more  appetites  than 
a  group  of  maiden  ladies  who  were  taking  after- 
noon tea." 

There  was  a  general  laugh  at  this,  the  exaggera- 
tion being  so  manifest  that  even  Tom  joined  in, 
still  there  was  some  truth  in  Jim's  jocose  remarks, 
for  Tom  did  have  a  "  close "  side  to  him,  whicK 
showed  even  in  cooking.  It  was  always  evident 
that  Thomas  Darlington  would  become  the  financier 
among  the  Frontier  Boys.  After  the  laughter  had 
died  down  the  engineer  took  up  the  Russian  inci- 
dent again. 

"I  venture  to  say  that  my  hunger  on  the  oc- 
casion I  am  about  to  speak  of  was  somewhat  more 
real  than  yours,  Skipper.  I  was  traveling  first- 
class  from  St.  Petersburg  and  heading  for  the  Ger- 
man frontier.  Very  foolishly  I  did  not  provide 
myself  with  a  hamper  of  provisions,  supposing  that 
I  would  be  able  to  get  food  along  the  way.  I  never 
made  that  particular  mistake  again. 

"  I  had  plenty  of  money  in  those  days,  and  was 
traveling,  as  I  say,  first-class.  When  I  got  in  my 
compartment  at  St.  Petersburg  I  supposed  at  first 


THE   ENGINEER  8-1 

that  I  was  going  to  have  it  all  to  myself,  and  I  was 
very  well  pleased  because  I  could  take  things  easy 
and  sleep  undisturbed  through  the  most  of  what 
promised  to  be  a  very  dreary  trip. 

"  It  was  then  about  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
and  snowing  furiously,  and  I  could  scarcely  see  the 
outlines  of  the  handsome  station  through  the  storm 
of  snow.  But  it  was  very  comfortable  in  my  com- 
partment, which  I  was  pleased  to  note  was  of 
unusual  elegance.  So  I  did  not  mind  the  delay 
at  first. 

"  I  noticed  that  the  cushions  of  the  seats  were 
of  a  deep  softness  and  of  a  rich  crimson  velvet. 
There  were  likewise  hangings  over  the  windows, 
with  heavy  golden  tassels  on  the  same.  Then  I 
observed  a  crest  stamped  on  the  embossed  leather 
upon  the  inside  of  the  door,  and  it  was  also  repeated 
in  gold  upon  the  back  of  the  seats. 

"  I  must  admit  that  this  seemed  a  good  deal  of 
style,  but  I  did  not  consider  it  any  too  much  for  a 
representative  American  citizen  traveling  abroad. 
I  was  a  fool  in  those  days,  but  made  up  in  audacity 
what  I  lacked  in  wit.  After  a  half  hour  had  passed 
beyond  the  schedule  time  set  for  the  train's  start- 
ing, I  began  to  get  uneasy  and  was  just  about  to 
get  out  of  the  compartment  to  help  move  things 


82         FRONTIER   BOYS   IN    THE   SIERRAS 

along,  when  I  saw  a  gorgeous  sleigh  drive  up  in 
front  of  the  station. 

"  There  was  a  splendid  ermine  robe  thrown  over 
the  back,  and  two  plumes  in  front.  The  horses 
were  fine  animals  too,  driven  three  abreast  after  the 
Russian  fashion;  over  the  one  in  the  center  was  a 
single  arch  on  which  jingled  the  merry  bells.  The 
middle  horse  was  a  great  black,  and  his  comrades 
on  either  side  were  gray,  the  very  symbols  of  the 
snowy  landscape. 

"  From  the  furs  of  the  sleigh  emerged  a  gigantic 
Russian,  blonde-bearded,  and  under  his  fur  over- 
coat was  some  sort  of  a  military  uniform.  \  I 
watched  him  with  interest  as  he  came  toward  the 
train,  accompanied  by  the  station-master,  and  met 
by  the  salutes  of  the  soldiers,  who  are  everywhere 
in  Russia. 

"  He  came  straight  towards  the  carriage  where 
I  was  seated  in  lonely  pomp,  and  I  had  just  time  to 
seat  myself  in  the  opposite  corner  of  the  compart- 
ment when  the  door  was  thrown  open,  and — enter 
his  royal  nibs — the  Archduke  Alexandewitch  or 
something  or  other.  At  least  this  was  high  nobility 
of  some  kind.  His  bearded  face  was  very  red, 
and  his  system  had  evidently  been  warmed  by  some- 
thing besides  exercise. 


THE   ENGINEER  83 

"His  eyes  were  blurred,  and,  coming  from  the 
light  into  the  semi-darkness  of  the  carriage,  he 
<iid  not  see  me.  A  guard  deposited  a  hamper 
within,  and  he  and  the  station-master  bowed  pro- 
foundly to  me  likewise,  evidently  taking  me  for 
some  exalted  personage,  possibly  the  Czar,  who, 
however,  was  a  giant  of  a  man  while  I  was  only 
medium  in  height.  So  it  must  have  been  someone 


"  You  certainly  were  a  cool  hand/*  remarked  Jim 
admiringly.  "I  never  could  have  done  that." 

"  Nor  I,  either,"  was  the  chorus  of  the  other 
boys. 

"Just  my  bloomin'  cheek,  as  an  English  pal  of 
mine  used  to  say,"  the  engineer  continued,  "and 
nothing  that  I'm  very  proud  of  now,  but  it  was 
the  only  thing  that  would  have  pulled  me  through' 
that  fix.  No  sooner  was  his  Nibs  seated  in  the 
train  than  it  started. 

"  It  made  me  rather  tired  to  think  that  we  had 
been  delayed  for  that  big  pig  of  a  Russian,  though 
I  suppose  in  the  United  States  a  train  would  have 
been  held  for  some  big-bellied  politician  with  a  pull, 
so  that  I  need  not  have  felt  so  aggrieved  at  this 
happening  in  darkest  Russia.  But  I  looked  at  the 
big  Russian  in  disgust  nevertheless.  Then  he  saw 


84         FRONTIER  BOYS  IN.   THE  SIERRAS 

me  sitting  quietly  near  the  window  opposite.  One 
moment  he  was  a  picture  of  amazement,  and  then 
he  let  a  roar  out  of  him  that  shook  things. 

"  I  did  not  naturally  understand  what  the.  Rus- 
sian was  saying,  so  I  just  had  to  let  him  roar,  and 
made  a  few  gestures  for  myself.  I  feared  at  first 
that  he  would  have  a  fit  of  apoplexy,  as  he  grew 
redder  in  the  face  than  ever,  but  having  expressed 
himself  to  his  full  satisfaction,  with  a  final  threat 
he  sat  down.  I  supposed  that  I  should  be  shot  or 
sent  into  exile  at  the  first  stop." 


CHAPTER  X 

THE  RUSSIAN 

"  THE  first  thing  his  Royal  Highness  did  was  to 
open  the  neat-looking  wicker  hamper  and  take  out 
a  cut-glass  bottle  encased  in  silver,  the  contents  of 
which  he  poured  into  a  dainty-looking  glass.  He 
took  a  number  of  drinks,  but  without  asking  me 
to  join,  which  I -thought  was  very  impolite  of  him. 
Then  he  settled  himself  for  a  nap,  first  drawing  out 
a  huge  pistol  which  he  placed  near  him  on  the 
cushions. 

"  It  was,  of  course,  a  silly  thing  for  him  to  do, 
but  then  the  man  was,  I  thought,  more  than  half 
drunk.  When  he  first  drew,  I  was  afraid  that  he 
was  going  to  blow  me  to  pieces  then  and  there, 
and  I  was  ready  for  him.  But  when  he  laid  it 
down  and  dropped  off  into  a  heavy  sleep,  I  could 
have  laughed. 

"  I  would  have  taken  a  nap  myself,  but  his 
stentorian  snores  made  it  impossible.  There  was 
nothing  to  see  outside  but  a  dreary  scene  through 
the  snow  that  was  coming  down  in  fine,  white 
driving  particles.  At  times  there  would  be  distant 

85 


86         FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE  SIERRAS 

forests  of  rather  stunted  pines,  but  for  the  most 
part,  only  the  desolate  stretch  of  plains/ 

"  Once  in  a  while  we  would  come  to  a  stop  at 
a  small  station,  but  only  for  a  short  time,  and  then 
the  train  with  its  long  line  of  flat-looking  coaches, 
would  rumble  out  over  the  barren  plain.  By-and- 
by  I  began  to  feel  very  hungry  and  I  realized  that 
there  was  going  to  be  no  stop  for  meals,  as  the 
other  passengers,  more  familiar  with  the  custom  of 
the  country,  had  no  doubt  provided  themselves  with 
hampers  of  provisions." 

"  I  looked  at  the  Grand  Duke  or  whatever  it 
might  be,  and  he  was  sleeping  as  only  a  big  man 
who  is  quite  intoxicated  can  sleep.  Then  my  eye 
wandered  to  the  hamper.  Instantly  my  hunger 
hardened  into  resolution.  I  was  not  going  to  starve 
with  that  within  my  reach.  I  stooped  down  and 
picked  it  up,  then  opened  it  on  my  knee. 

"  I  had  never  seen  anything  more  dainty,  and 
more  elegant,  than  was  the  arrangement  of  that 
basket.  As  for  the  contents,  well,  I  can  only  recall, 
I  cannot  describe.  For  warming  tea  there  was  an 
arrangement  of  silver  and  ebony  in  one  compart- 
ment. Likewise  a  roasted  fowl  in  a  delicious  sauce, 
and  stuffed  with  chestnuts.  Also  bread  and  caviar, 
the  latter  a  Russian  delicacy  of  fish-roe  or  eggs." 


THE   RUSSIAN  87 

"  I  wouldn't  like  that,"  cut  in  Tom. 

"  How  do  you  know  ?  "  reproved  Joe,  "  you  never 
tried  it." 

"Fish  eggs!"  exclaimed  Tom  with  a  grimace. 

"  You  would  have  turned  up  your  nose  at  birds' 
nests  too,"  said  Jim,  "  until  the  Captain  told  us  how 
fine  they  were,  and  not  at  all  like  we  supposed." 

"  Yes,"  nodded  the  engineer,  "  birds'  nests  are  all 
right,  I've  eaten  them  in  China.  They  are  gathered 
before  the  birds  ever  nest  in  them." 

"  But  go  on  with  your  story,  I'm  anxious  to  see 
how  you  made  out.  It  was  certainly  an  interesting 
experience,"  urged  Jim. 

"  I  should  say  so,"  chorused  the  boys. 

"  I'm  glad  you  like  it,"  remarked  the  engineer, 
"  and  it  was  an  entertaining  situation,  especially 
the  lunch  part  of  it.  Where  was  I?  " 

"  Caviar,"  suggested  Tom. 

"  Oh,  yes.  Well,  on  the  bill  of  fare  were  dif- 
ferent cakes,  jellies  and  jams,  all  beautifully  put  up. 
As  to  the  liquors,  there  were  half  a  dozen  different 
bottles,  as  I  have  said  of  cut  glass,  in  filigree  silver 
holders,  with  his  Nib's  crests  on  the  tops,  engraved 
in  silver.  It  was  all  beautiful  to  look  upon.  One 
liquor  green,  oh,  such  a  lovely  green,  as  a  French 
poet  says  the  color  of  a  mermaid's  eyes.  Another 


88        FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE  SIERRAS 

purple,  another  the  color  of  honey.  But  I  Hacl 
sense  enough  left  not  to  take  any  of  them,  else  I 
would  have  had  no  senses  left,  which  would  have 
been  bad  under  the  circumstances,  for  I  might 
have  wakened  up  to  find  myself  at  the  sudden  end 
of  a  rope,  or  sitting  out  on  the  lonely  plains  with 
some  bruises  and  no  friends. 

"  So  I  contented  myself  with  several  nice  cups 
of  tea,  with  a  bit  of  lemon  in  them,  and  the  rest 
of  the  bill  of  fare.  That  roasted  fowl  was  remark- 
ably good,  and  as  for  the  sauce !  I  was  on  the 

point  of  asking  his  Royal  Highness  for  the  recipe, 
but  he  was  sleeping  so  soundly  that  I  felt  that  it 
was  a  pity  to  disturb  him.  Just  then  I  noticed  that 
the  pistol  near  his  hand  was  about  to  fall  to  the 
floor  with  the  jolting  of  the  car,,  so  I  put  the 
hamper  reluctantly  aside  and  caught  the  pistol. 

"  I  stood  with  it  in  my  hand  regarding  it  with 
interest.  A  clumsy  weapon  indeed,  though  of 
beautiful  workmanship.  I  hesitated,  holding  the 
weapon  carefully." 

"  Did  you  think  of  shooting  him  ? "  inquired 
Tom  tremulously. 

John  Berwick  smiled  and  shook  his  head.  "  No, 
not  that.  I  was  not  a  nihilist.  You  see  I  had  plenty 
to  eat,  why  should  I  be?  Nevertheless,  I  came  to 


THE  RUSSIAN  89 

a  quick  decision.  I  went  to  the  window  opposite, 
and  opened  it  very  carefully,  no  wider  than  I  had 
to,  and  launched  it  safely  out  into  a  snowdrift. 
Then  I  closed  the  window  quickly,  but  stood  per- 
fectly still,  for  I  was  aware  that  the  giant  back  of 
me  was  stirring,  a  draught  of  the  fresh  air  had 
awakened  him.  It  appeared  that  my  sin  had  found 
me  out. 

"  Standing  perfectly  quiet,  I  turned  my  head 
slowly  and  saw  that  the  Russian  had  merely 
changed  his  position,  and  had  gone  off  into  another 
slumber.  So  I  leisurely  finished  my  lunch,  enjoy- 
ing the  preserves  and  other  dainties  hugely.  After 
this  part  of  the  performance  was  completed,  I  put 
everything  back  into  the  hamper  with  the  utmost 
neatness.  To' tell  the  honest  truth,  there  was  not 
a  great  deal  left  to  repack,  a  part  of  the  chicken, 
and  some  bread  and  caviar,  which  to  the  appetite 
of  a  Russian  would  be  no  more  than  a  lamb  chop 
to  a  hungry  tiger." 

"  Gosh !  "  exclaimed  Jim  again,  "  but  you  surely 
had  your  nerve  with  you." 

"  Yes,"  acquiesced  the  engineer,  "  and  a  full 
stomach",  which  is  a  good  thing  to  have  along  with 
your  nerve.  I  have  noticed  that  some  times  the 
two  go  well  together.  However,  the  liquor  was 


90         FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE   SIERRAS 

untouched,  and  I  hoped  that  he  would  take  some 
more  and  thus  again  become  oblivious  to  every- 
thing else.  One  thing  reassured  me,  and  that  was, 
that  I  had  got  rid  of  his  revolver  or  rather  pistol. 
I  was  not  afraid  of  his  shooting  me,  but  had 
been  afraid  of  his  braining  me  with  the  butt  end 
of  it. 

"  It  had  now  grown  very  dusk  in  the  carriage, 
and  outside  the  storm  was  sweeping  over  the  vast 
plain  in  white  swirls,  and  still  the  train  lumbered 
westward.  I  decided  to  save  the  guard  the  trouble 
of  lighting  up,  so  I  attended  to  that  myself,  and 
pulled  the  dark  hood  over  the  thick  glass  that  was 
set  in  the  center  of  the  top  of  the  compartment, 
so  that  his  royal  Nibs  could  have  his  siesta  undis- 
turbed. 

"  Then  I  sat  myself  down  in  the  corner  of  the 
carriage,  and  pulled  out  my  cigarette  case,  selected 
one  and  lighted  it. 

" '  I  trust  your  Highness  will  not  mind  the 
smoke?'  I  remarked  in  a  low  tone,  as  I  gave  a 
delicate  puff  into  the  air,  but  I  guess  that  his  Royal 
Highness  did,  for  in  a  few  moments  he  stirred 
ponderously,  and  finally  sat  up.  Then  a  look  of 
utter  amazement  came  into  his  face  when  he  saw 
me  seated  there  in  the  corner  with  a  cigarette  in  my 


THE  RUSSIAN  91 

fingers.  His  little  puffed  eyes  opened  as  wide  as 
they  could. 

" '  Poof ! '  blew  out  through  his  bewhiskered 
mouth,  expressing  utmost  disdain  and  indignation. 
Then  he  totally  ignored  my  presence,  and  picking 
up  the  hamper,  he  set  it  before  him.  The  crucial 
moment  had  come,  and  I  must  confess  that  I  felt 
a  few  creeps  of  apprehension  go  over  me.  As  for 
his  Royal  Highness,  his  whole  attitude  was  of 
great  hunger  about  to  be  satisfied. 

"  It  showed  in  his  popped  eyes  and  the  workings 
of  his  large,  full-lipped  mouth.  Then  he  flung  back 
the  top  of  the  hamper  and  leaned  forward  eagerly. 
If  his  first  amazement  was  utter  this  was  too  utter. 
He  sat  bolt  upright  for  a  second,  then  he  dived  at 
the  basket  again.  He  poked  around  in  it.  He 
shook  it  vigorously,  but  no  provisions  mirac- 
ulously appeared.  It  was  appalling,  beyond  be- 
lief. He  took  out  ,a  small  mirror  and  regarded 
himself  very  carefully,  and  then  solemnly  he  nod- 
ded. It  was  none  other  than  himself,  his  Royal 
Highness  Michael  Palanovitch,  and  this  before  him 
was  his  Honorable  Hamper,  but  like  old  Mother 
Hubbard's  cupboard,  it  was  entirely  bare.  It  was 
too  much  for  my  sense  of  humor  and  from  my  cor- 
ner there  came  a  suppressed  snort. 


92         FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE   SIERRAS 

"  Instantly  his  Royal  Highness  grasped  the  sit- 
uation and  I  thought  that  he  was  going  to  grasp 
me  at  the  same  time.  I  never  saw  such  rage  and 
I  immediately  became  very  sober  and  entirely  inno- 
cent. He  stormed,  he  raved,  I  am  afraid  he  swore, 
though  I  could  not  understand  all  he  said.  It  was 
a  roar  of  sound  and  a  frazzle  of  language.  He 
tore  at  his  hair  and  raged  like  a  caged  lion. 

"  I  saw  visions  of  the  knout  and  exile  in  Siberia. 
I  protested  my  innocence,  and  my  profound  sor- 
row at  the  sad  state  of  his  larder.  I  used  both 
language  and  pantomime.  *  I  am  an  American, 
Monsieur,'  I  cried,  1 1  cannot  eat  anything  cooked 
in  Russia,  it  does  not  agree  with  me/  I  protested 
with  such  vehemence  and  with  such  utter  inno- 
cence that  his  Highness  finally  quieted  down, 
partly  from  sheer  exhaustion,  possibly  from  lack  of 
food."  There  was  a  twinkle  in  the  speaker's  eye, 
and  the  boys  roared.  ^  When  he  had  become  quiet, 
I,  with  a  low  bow,  went  to  the  hamper  and  pro- 
duced the  piece  of  chicken  that  was  left  and  pre- 
sented it  to  him  with  much  humility. 

"  His  amazement  knew  no  bounds  at  this  per- 
formance of  mine,  and  his  face  showed  it.  Then 
his  mood  suddenly  changed,  and  he  burst  into 
homeric  laughter.  It  was  so  extraordinary,  that 


THE  RUSSIAN  93 

it  struck  him  as  humorous.  Part  of  the  joke  being 
that  I  was  a  foreigner,  especially  an  American,  of 
whom  anything  might  be  expected.  On  the  basis 
of  this  incident  he  immediately  accepted  me  into 
a  jovial  comradeship.  Whenever  it  struck  him  he 
would  burst  into  a  roar  of  laughter.  So,  behold  me, 
when  the  train  finally  did  stop  at  a  brilliantly  lighted 
station,  wherein  was  a  really  palatial  dining-room, 
walking  arm  in  arm  with  his  Royal  Highness, 
Archduke  Michael,  and  receiving  the  salutes  of 
the  soldiery  and  the  plaudits  of  admiring  citizens." 


CHAPTER  XI 

A  CONSPIRACY 

THERE  was  a  moment's  silence  when  the  engi- 
neer had  finished  his  unusual  and  most  entertaining 
narrative.  It  seemed  to  them  so  vivid  had  been  his 
story,  that  instead  of  being  on  a  ship  in  the  mid- 
Pacific  in  the  midst  of  a  blustery  rainstorm  that 
they  were  in  far-off  Russia,  and  as  the  tale  ended 
they  could  see  a  picture  before  their  eyes. 

There  was  the  long  train,  covered  and  crusted 
with  snow,  standing  alongside  the  station.  In  the 
light  of  large  lamps  shining  brilliantly  upon  the 
snow,  was  the  gigantic  Russian  in  his  fur  coat, 
arm-in-arm  with  the  slight,  dark  American.  Their 
steps  were  directed  towards  the  long  dining-room 
that  shone  in  singular  attraction  out  of  the  storm 
and  cold.  The  many  round  tables  set  with  glowing 
whiteness  and  with,  gleam  of  silver.  The  high- 
backed  chairs  of  some  black  wood.  At  one  end  of 
the  long  dining-room  a  tea  urn  of  huge  propor- 
tions shining  like  silver.  So  the  boys  sat  for  some 
minutes  in  complete  silence,  under  the  spell  of  the 
story;  then  Tom  spoke  up: 

94 


A   CONSPIRACY  95 

"  I  should  have  thought,  Mr.  Berwick,  that  you 
would  have  been  fired  out  of  the  carriage  at  St. 
Petersburg  when  his  Nibs  arrived.'* 

"  It  was  curious,"  admitted  the  engineer.  "  I 
have  never  quite  understood  it." 

"  I  reckon  it  was  your  audacity  that  helped  you 
out/'  said  Juarez. 

"  Or,  rather  helped  you  in,"  remarked  the  incor- 
rigible Jo. 

"  I  have  thought  of  that,  as  an  explanation,"  said 
Berwick. 

"  Or,  you  may  have  resembled  some  High  Duke 
or  other,"  suggested  Jim,  "and  that  let  you 
through." 

"I'm  greatly  flattered,"  said  Berwick  with  a 
slight  smile,  "That  may  have  been  the  solution, 
but  I  have  partially  figured  that  my  success  was 
due  to  the  odd  character  of  my  Russian  friend.  I 
discovered  later  that  he  was  a  Grand  Duke,  well 
known  in  a  social  rather  than  a  political  way  and 
famous  for  his  eccentricities.  He  spent  much  of 
his  time  in  Paris  and  favored  foreigners  rather 
than  his  own  countrymen,  so  I  was  probably  taken 
for  one  of  his  French  cronies.  I  saw  him  some 
years  later  in  Paris,  but  I  did  not  try  to  revive  the 
acquaintanceship,  but  then  I  was  not  hungry."  Jo 


96         FRONTIER   BOYS  IN   THE  SIERRAS 

was  about  to  open  his  mouth  to  make  a  pun  when 
Jim  interfered. 

"  Don't  you  dare  to  say  anything  about  being 
hampered  or  unhampered,"  he  warned.  The  engi- 
neer laughed  heartily.  He  liked  the  boys  for  their 
boyish  qualities,  which  were  very  refreshing  to 
him. 

"  How  did  you  ever  get  down  to  this  work  ? " 
asked  Tom  bluntly,  "after  you  had  been  hobnob- 
bing with  Dukes  and  living  in  Paris  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  believe  you  boys  will  understand  me," 
he  replied  musingly,  "  it  would  not  be  in  the  nature 
of  things  that  you  should.  I  did  not  come  down  to 
this  work,  but  up  to  it.  After  traveling  for  a  great 
many  years  over  the  world,  I  got  to  living  a  very 
idle  and  useless  life  on  the  continent.  But  it  palled 
on  me  after  a  while.  I  was  in  good  health,  and 
had  money,  but  I  was  tired  of  myself,  thoroughly 
and  entirely  bored.  By  the  way,  I  might  illustrate 
this  unpleasant  condition  of  things  by  a  high  and 
mighty  example.  Did  you  ever  hear  of  Charles  IX. 
of  France  ?  "  This  was  a  question  the  boys  were 
anxious  to  answer,  just  to  show  that  they  knew 
something  besides  roughing  it,  and  to  prove  their 
intelligence  to  the  engineer,  who  in  a  quiet  way 
always  put  them  on  their  mettle,  but  to  tell  the 


A   CONSPIRACY  97 

truth  they  were  rather  rusty  on  all  branches  of 
learning,  but  Jo  and  Tom  were  both  fond  of  his- 
tory and  had  read  a  good  deal  of  it  at  odd  times. 
Tom  was  the  first  to  jump  into  the  ring  of  knowl- 
edge, with  the  four-ounce  gloves  of  information, 
but  ignorance  ducked  his  first  wild  swing  and  was 
thus  saved  a  knockout. 

"  Oh,  yes,"  he  replied  glibly,  "  Charles  IX.  was 
the  son  of  Henry  of  Navarre."  The  engineer  shook 
his  head  slightly. 

"  You  are  away  off,  Tom,"  declared  Jo.  "  His 
mother  was  Catherine  de  Medici  and  Henri  III. 
was  his  brother.  Maybe  he  was  the  nephew  or 
cousin  of  Henry  of  Navarre.  I  wish  I  had  a  his- 
tory here  and  I  would  look  it  up." 

"  Partly  right  and  partly  wrong,  Jo,"  said  Ber- 
wick. "Catherine  de  Medici  was  the  mother  of 
Charles  IX.,  whose  sister,  Margaret  of  Navarre, 
married  Henry  of  Navarre.  But  this  is  the  point  I 
want  to  make.  Charles  IX.  finally  got  so  tired  of 
the  pomps  and  ceremonies  of  the  court  after  a  while 
that  he  had  a  forge  fixed  up  in  tiis  palace  and  there 
he  used  to  make  and  hammer  out  horseshoes. 
That,"  he  concluded  with  a  smile,  "is  why  I  took 
up  my  work.  I  was  tired  of  useless  idleness.  There 
is  a  constant  live  interest  in  this  business  of  run- 


98         FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE  SIERRAS 

ning  an  engine  that  I  like.  Now  I  must  get  at  it, 
and  good-night  to  you." 

"  Good-night,  Mr.  Berwick,"  replied  the  boys,  and 
made  their  way  out  of  the  engine-room  on  to  the 
storm-swept  deck,  all  except  Juarez,  who  stayed 
to  work  with  the  engineer. 

The  boys  separated  to  their  respective  duties. 
Jeems  took  the  boy's  task  of  stoking,  Jim  was  at 
the  wheel,  sending  Pete  below  to  the  forecastle  to 
take  a  good  sleep.  Tom  and  Jo  were  detailed  to 
go  to  their  respective  cabins  and  turn  in  for  the 
night,  as  the  old  captain  had  rather  perversely 
taken  it  into  his  head  to  stand  watch  on  the  bridge, 
though  Jim  had  tried  to  dissuade  him. 

"  It  won't  do  your  rheumatism  any  good,  Cap- 
tain," warned  Jim.  "  It's  mighty  wet  and  cold 
on  the  bridge  and  the  wind  is  rushing  fierce." 

"  Trying  to  make  me  out  an  old  man,"  growled 
the  captain,  much  aggrieved.  "  I  guess  I  can  stand 
as  much  as  any  of  you  boys.  I've  weathered  many 
a  storm  in  my  day." 

"  You  are  tough  as  a  knot  yet,  Captain,"  said 
Jim  soothingly. 

So  it  happened  that  the  captain  in  his  heavy 
storm  coat  stood  on  the  bridge,  while  the  rain 
swished  and  swirled  over  the  tossing  seas,  and 


A   CONSPIRACY  99 

swept  the  decks,  so  that  it  was  much  pleasanter  in 
the  cabin  than  abroad,  but  Jim  enjoyed  nothing 
more  in  sailoring  than  to  be  at  the  wheel  a  night 
like  this,  guiding  his  craft  plunging  through  the 
heavy  waves  in  the  darkness.  There  was  a  fasci- 
nation about  it,  the  obedience  of  the  ship  to  the 
helm,  the  following  of  the  mysterious  guidance  of 
the  needle,  the  standing  fixed  against  the  rush  of 
wind  and  rain,  the  familiar  feeling  of  the  spokes 
of  the  wheel,  like  grasping  the  bridle  reins  when 
riding  a  spirited  horse,  all  this  went  to  make  up 
Jim's  liking  for  this  work. 

Now  being  anxious  for  the  welfare  of  Tom  and 
Jo,  let  us  see  if  they  are  safely  tucked  away  in  their 
little  cribs.  We  find  that  they  are  not,  so  mischief 
must  be  afoot,  and  it  is.  It  seems  that  neither  Jo 
nor  Tom  were  in  any  mood  to  go  to  sleep,  and  their 
minds  were  busy  with  the  story  that  the  engineer 
had  told  them.  They  felt  a  desire  to  emulate  him. 
So  they  lay  awake  and  thought  what  they  might 
do  to  make  life  interesting  on  the  ocean  wave. 

Tom  thought  of  surprising  the  captain  and  Jim 
by  making  weird  sounds  back  of  the  cabin  on  the 
quarter  deck  and  robing  himself  in  a  white  sheet 
at  the  same  time.  A'  most  excellent  plan  indeed, 
both  worthies  being  such  timid  characters.  But 


TOO       FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE  SIERRAS 

Tom  gave  up  the  idea  of  this  surprise  for  fear  the 
tables  might  be  turned  on  him  and  then  he  would 
get  a  taste  of  the  rope's  end  for  fair,  so  he  had 
another  thought  coming. 

The  idea  that  came  to  Jo  in  the  silent  night 
watches  was  to  give  Jeems  a  benefit  while  he  was 
busy  stoking,  but  there  was  one  difficulty  here  that 
it  was  almost  impossible  to  get  down  into  the  hold 
without  being  discovered,  so  that  plan  had  to  be 
given  up.  Then  an  inspiration  came  to  Tom. 

He  got  hastily  up,  and  went  to  Jo's  cabin,  which 
was  just  forward  of  his  on  the  main  deck.  You 
see  there  were  three  cabins  on  a  side;  each  of  the 
boys  had  one  and  the  engineer  the  sixth.  Tom  did 
not  stop  to  knock,  and  slid  Jo's  cabin  door  noise- 
lessly back,  but  the  wakeful  Jo  heard  him. 

"  Who's  there  ?  "  he  demanded  in  a  gruff  voice. 

"Don't  shoot.  It's  me,  Tom,"  replied  a  low 
voice. 

"Well,  Mr.  Tom,  what  are  you  doing  up  so  early 
in  the  morning?"  inquired  Jo. 

"  I've  got  a  scheme,"  said  Tom  in  the  low  voice 
of  a  conspirator.  "  Let's  surprise  old  Pete  and  the 
boy  in  the  forecastle." 

"  It's  dark  as  a  cave  down  there,"  said  Jo. 
"  They  will  be  sure  to  hear  us/' 


rA   CONSPIRACY  101 

"We  will  wear  our  moccasins,"  replied  Tom, 
"  and  there  isn't  any  bric-a-brac  to  knock  over." 

"  I  tell  you  what ! "  cried  Jo,  exhilarated  by  a 
sudden  and  brilliant  idea.  "  Let's  rub  matches  on 
our  faces,  when  we  go  down." 

"  Same  as  Jim  did  when  we  were  in  the  Hollow 
Mountain,  and  he  surprised  those  Hawaiian 
Priests !  "  exclaimed  Tom.  "  Gee !  but  you  have 
got  a  good  head  on  you,  Jo.  That's  what  we 
will  do." 

"  Here's  plenty  of  matches,"  said  Jo.  "  We  must 
be  careful  and  not  let  them  get  too  damp.  An- 
other thing,  we  will  have  to  look  out  and  not  let 
the  Captain  see  us,  or  Jim,  either,  or  there  will  be 
something  brewing." 

"  What  do  you  suppose  the  old  gentleman  would 
do  to  us  if  he  saw  us  snooping  along?"  inquired 
Tom  apprehensively,  for  he  stood  in  much  awe  of 
the  captain. 

"You  had  better  stay  in  your  little  crib  if  you 
are  so  alarmed,"  remarked  Jo. 

"  I'm  ready  when  you  are,"  said  Tom  gruffly. 

Then  they  started  moving  silently  along  the  deck, 
though  the  fierce  wind  that  swept  the  ship  gave 
them  an  excellent  protection.  Still  they  proceeded 
very  cautiously,  keeping  close  to  the  galley  and 


102       FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE  SIERRAS 

the  wall  of  the  engine-room.  Just  then  the  shep- 
herd's dog  jumped  up  from  the  shelter  where  he 
was  waiting  for  his  master  to  come  up  from  below. 
He  barked  furiously  at  first  when  he  saw  the 
two  shadowy  forms  coming  towards  him,  then  Jo 
spoke  to  him  in  a  low  voice,  and  the  dog,  recogniz- 
ing him,  lay  down  in  his  dry  shelter  again.  But 
the  captain  was  on  the  alert.  He  came  to  that  side 
of  the  quarter  deck  and  looked  over. 


CHAPTER  XII 

THE  GREEN  GHOSTS 

"  I  WONDER  what  made  that  pup  break  loose  like 
that?  "  he  remarked.  "  Must  have  seen  something 
unusnal." 

He  waited  for  a  short  time  looking  down  to  the 
;deck  below,  and  the  boys,  Tom  and  Jo,  directly 
beneath  him,  hugged  as  close  to  the  wall  as  they 
could.  Then  the  Sea  Eagle  gave  a  heavy  lurch, 
and  Tom  lost  his  grip,  and  much  terrified,  rolled 
to  the  bulwarks,  in  a  dark  bundle,  but  fortunately 
the  captain  had  made  up  his  mind  that  it  was  a 
false  alarm  and  had  gone  back  to  the  bridge. 

Tom  lay  in  the  scuppers  not  daring  to  move, 
and  imagining  that  the  captain's  baleful  eye  was 
glaring  down  on  him  from  the  quarter  deck.  As 
Jo  would  have  said  if  he  had  dared  open  his  mouth, 
there  would  not  have  been  any  quarter  in  spite  of 
the  deck,  but  he  was  muzzled  by  circumstances. 
Another  heavy  roll  heaved  the  frightened  Tom 
back  against  Jo,  who  had  a  purchase  on  an  iron 
ring.  Jo  grabbed  him  and  held  on. 

"  Stay  anchored,  you  idiot,"  said  Jo  in  a  hoarse 
103 


104       FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE   SIERRAS 

whisper.  "  You  will  give  us  away  if  you  aren't 
careful." 

"  Can't  help  it,"  growled  Tom.  "  The  old  ship 
rolls  so." 

"  Now  is  our  chance,  come,"  whispered  Jo. 

The  next  dash  brought  them  to  a  temporary  safe 
anchorage  directly  underneath  the  bridge.  So  far 
the  practical  jokers  had  rather  had  it  put  on  them, 
for  they  had  been  badly  scared  and  an  occasional 
wave  that  came  over  the  bow  of  the  Sea  Eagle 
threatened  the  two  gallant  Frontier  Boys  with  a 
severe  ducking. 

"  Skylarking  is  all  right,"  whispered  Jo  to  his 
comrade  in  mischief,  "  but  this  sealarking  is  dif- 
ferent." 

"  If  you  were  going  to  be  hung  you  would  try, 
to  pun,"  growled  Tom. 

By  stealthy  observation  they  found  that  there 
was  no  chance  for  them  to  reach  the  hood  of  the 
forecastle  on  the  forward  deck  without  being  seen 
by  the  keen-eyed  captain. 

"  Think  up  some  scheme,  Jo,"  urged  Tom,  "  to 
distract  the  old  boy's  attention  or  he  will  spot  us 
sure." 

Jo  thought  a  minute,  then  he  discovered  what  he 
imagined  would  be  a  fine  scheme. 


THE  GREEN   GHOSTS  105 

"You  stay  here,  Tom,"  he  whispered,  and  sped 
back  towards  the  cabin. 

"  He  need  not  have  told  me  that,"  grumbled 
Tom.  "  I  wouldn't  be  apt  to  stay  anywhere  else." 

Meanwhile,  Jo  had  reached  his  cabin,  and  he 
hastily  pushed  the  sliding  door  open  and  went  in. 
He  was  not  long  in  getting  what  he  was  after.  It 
was  a  ship's  bell,  with  a  history  to  it,  that  he  had 
picked  up  in  Hawaii — the  bell,  not  the  history. 
Holding  the  clapper  tight  so  that  it  would  not 
betray  him,  Jo  made  his  way  quickly  to  the  lad- 
der-like stairs  leading  to  the  quarter-deck  and  tied 
it  underneath,  in  such  a  way  that  it  was  sure  to 
ring. 

This  promised  to  be  a  double-barreled  joke,  and 
they  would  be  lucky  if  the  recoil  did  not  kick  them 
over.  When  it  was  properly  fastened  Jo  let  go  of 
it  and  sped  back  to  Tom.  Scarcely  had  he  reached 
his  fellow  conspirator  than  there  came  the  clear 
metallic  ring  of  a  ship's  bell.  Weird  and  uncanny 
it  sounded  through  the  stormy  darkness  of  the 
night.  The  old  captain  could  scarcely  believe  his 
ears.  Then  came  that  startling  vibration  again. 

"By  Thuridas,  what's  that?"  he  cried. 

"  It  sounded  to  me  like  a  ship's  bell,"  said  Jim. 
"  I'd  soon  find  out,  if  you  would  take  the  wheel, 


io6       FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE  SIERRAS 

sir."  Growling  something,  the  old  fellow  made 
in  the  direction  of  the  sound,  and  Jo  and  Tom 
scudded  for  the  forecastle,  which  they  reached 
without  being  discovered. 

Meanwhile,  the  captain  had  come  to  the  ladder 
leading  from  the  quarter  deck  to  the  main  deck, 
and  the  tolling  came  from  the  darkness,  just  be- 
neath his  feet.  There  was  a  strain  of  superstition 
in  him,  as  in  all  sailors,  and  he  had  heard  yarns  of 
ghostly  bells  on  haunted  ships  that  tolled  for  the 
dead  about  to  be.  And  it  shook  the  old  fellow's 
nerve.  Just  then  the  shepherd's  dog  began  to  howl 
dismally  and  this  put  the  seal  on  matters  as  far  as 
the  captain  was  concerned. 

He  could  not  locate  the  continued  tolling,  so  he 
returned  to  the  bridge  and  reported  the  fact  to 
Jim,  with  his  own  view  of  the  case. 

"  I  don't  wonder  at  it  either,  Skipper,"  he  said 
in  tremulous  tones.  "  This  was  once  a  pirate's 
ship,  and  I  don't  need  to  tell  you  anything  about 
its  former  captain,  Bill  Broom.  There's  been 
many  a  deed  of  blood  done  aboard  this  ship."  Jim 
felt  generally  angry,  but  not  at  the  captain,  whom 
he  understood,  but  he  hated  to  have  the  ship  of 
which  he  was  fond,  given  a  bad  name. 

"  Take  the  wheel,  sir,"  said  Jim,  "  and  I'll  find 


THE  GREEN   GHOSTS  107 

out  in  a  jiffy  what's  wrong.  If  this  ship  is  harbor- 
ing any  ghosts,  I'll  fumigate  them  out." 

"It's  a  job  for  a  young  man,"  replied  the  cap- 
tain, taking  the  wheel.  "I  wish  you  good  luck, 
Skipper." 

No  sooner  did  the  captain  take  the  helm  than 
Jim  strode  across  the  quarter  deck  in  the  direc- 

V*;"*'. 

tip#  of  the  tolling  sound.  It  was  weird  enough  to 
give  almost  anyone  the  creeps.  Just  imagine  for 
yourself  how  it  would  be,  with  that  metallic  sound 
coming  out  of  the  stormy  darkness.  Fortunately 
for  him,  Jim  was  not  imaginative,  and  did  not  see 
things  unless  he  was  shown.  He  reached  the  top 
of  the  ladder,  and  the  tolling  was  just  beneath  his 
feet.  He  started  down  and  then  something  hap- 
pened. 

Let  us  return  to  the  two  desperate  characters,  to 
wit:  Torn^  and  Jo,  whose  malign  efforts  had 
started  all  this  trouble.  When  we  left  them,  they 
were  in  the  steep  ladder-way  leading  down  into  the 
forecastle.  They  stopped  there  for  a  minute,  pant- 
ing both  with  excitement  and  from  the  dash  they 
had  made.  It  was  as  dark  as  pitch  below  them, 
but  they  could  hear  the  stentorian  snore  of  Pete 
and  the  sturdy  Irish  lad,  who  did  the  most  of  the 
stoking. 


io8       FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE  SIERRAS 

"  Give  me  some  more  matches,  Jo"  whispered 
Tom. 

"  Don't  you  laugh  and  give  us  away,"  warned  Jo. 

Here  they  proceeded  to  rub  the  sulphur  on  their 
faces  until  their  countenances  took  on  a  ghostly 
greenish-white  hue.  Then  they  crept  down  the 
steps  into  the  dark  forecastle. 

"Who's  that?"  cried  Pete,  who  slept  with  one 
eye  open  after  the  manner  of  sailors. 

The  boys  gave  a  deep  groan  and  then  Irish 
roused  up.  Pete  was  already  wide  awake,  and 
aghast  at  what  he  saw,  two  greenish-white  faces 
in  the  gloom  and  with  audible  groans  too.  At  first 
he  was  paralyzed,  then  Irish  broke  the  spell. 

"  Howly  Saints !  "  he  yelled,  "  it's  the  devil !  " 

Then  he  sprang  from  his  bunk  yelling  at  every 
second,  and  made  for  the  ladder.  Pete  wasted  no 
breath  in  yells.  He  put  it  into  action.  When  the 
boy  gave  his  first  yell  the  old  sailor  likewise 
jumped  for  the  ladder ;  no  matter  if  he  did  have  to 
pass  within  a  few  inches  of  those  ghostly  ghosts, 
the  fresh  air  for  him. 

It  was  a  case  of  two  minds  with  but  a  single 
thought,  for  old  Pete  and  the  boy  met  at  the  ladder 
and  then  there  was  a  wild  scramble.  First  Pete 
would  start  part  way  up  and  Irish  would  pull  him 


THE  GREEN   GHOSTS  109 

'down,  then  the  boy  would  get  up  a  ways  and  Pete 
would  yank  him  deckward  and  the  boy  was  yelling 
for  help  with  every  breath.  It  was  a  regular  cat 
fight  and  Tom  and  Jo  were  weak  from  suppressed 
laughter,  at  the  exhibition.  It  was  funny  in  a  way, 
but  those  laugh  best  who  laugh  last  sometimes,  as 
Jo  and  Tom  were  likely  to  find  out. 

Finally  the  boy  did  get  out  on  deck  with  Pete 
at  his  heels,  and  they  ran  aft  yelling  at  the  tops 
of  their  voices. 

"  Murther !  "  "  Haul  in,"  according  to  their 
different  modes  of  expressions. 

"What's  the  matter  with  you  wild  Indians?" 
roared  the  captain  from  his  station  at  the  wheel. 
"  Get  below  there  till  you  are  called." 

It  was  lucky  for  them  that  he  was  not  free  to 
get  at  them,  for  the  old  captain  was  doubly  irritated 
by  their  outcry  since  he  had  been  somewhat  nerv- 
ous himself.  Pete  and  the  lad  ran  aft  as  though 
the  devil  indeed  was  after  them.  Jim  heard  the 
commotion*  just  as  he  started  down  the  ladder,  and 
in  a  jiffy  he  had  collared  the  runaways. 

"Here,  shut  up!"  he  yelled,  shaking-  them 
fiercely.  "  What's  all  this  noise  about?  " 

It  took  a  couple  of  minutes  before  he  could  get 
anything  coherent  out  of  them.  When  he  found  out 


no       FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE  SIERRAS 

what  they  had  to  tell  he  started  for  the  forecastle, 
grabbing  a  belaying  pin  on  his  way.  He  was  thor- 
oughly aroused,  and  he  knew  something  was 
wrong,  but  he  could  not  divine  what  it  was. 

"What's  the  matter  with  those  boobies?"  cried 
the  captain  when  he  saw  the  tall  figure  in  the  dark- 
ness making  for  the  forecastle. 

"  Think  they  have  seen  ghosts,"  yelled  Jim,  "  as 
near  as  I  can  make  out,  dreaming,  I  guess." 

"  I'd  give  'em  something  to  dream  about  if  I 
could  lay  hands  on  them,"  said  the  captain.  Jim 
laughed  and  strode  to  the  hood  of  the  forecastle. 

Now  let  us  see  what  had  become  of  the  two  prac- 
tical jokers.  It  looked  very  much  as  though  they 
were  trapped  and  the  joke  had  turned  out  more 
seriously  than  they  expected,  as  is  often  the  case, 
and  they  knew  it  would  go  hard  with  them  when 
they  were  captured. 

"  We  have  got  to  hide,"  cried  Jo,  "  those  idiots 
have  roused  the  whole  ship.  I  didn't  think  they 
would  act  like  that." 

"  We  will  probably  be  keel-hauled  for  this,"  said 
Tom.  "  Where  are  you  going  to  hide,  Jo  ?  " 

"Don't  know,  but  we  have  got  to  hide  some- 
.where,  and  soon,  too." 

Jo  was  more  daring  than  Tom,  and  he  made  a 


THE  GREEN   GHOSTS  in 

'dash  for  the  deck  with  the  hope  that  he  would  be 
able  to  get  back  to  his  cabin  and  be  innocently 
asleep  when  an  investigation  should  be  made,  but 
no  sooner  did  he  get%out  than  he  saw  that  all 
retreat  was  cut  off,  for  he  could  dimly  see  Jim's 
form  coming  along  the  passageway.  He  hesitated 
for  a  second  undecided  which  way  to  turn,  then 
he  crouched  quickly  in  the  direction  of  the  bow. 
It  had  come  to  him  like  an  inspiration.  There  was 
a  covered  cubby  hole  roofed  over,  where  old  chains 
and  such  things  were  kept,  in  the  bow. 


CHAPTER  XIII 


Jo  crawled  as  far  back  as  he  could  into  his  hiding* 
place,  bumping  his  head  and  bruising  his  knees  on 
the  rusty  chains,  and  in  the  remotest  corner  he 
crouched  much  like  a  scared  kitten.  He  had  just 
got  safely  hidden  when  Jim  reached  the  hood  of  the 
forecastle. 

Then  Jim  descended  in  search  of  the  ghosts.  No 
sooner  had  he  lighted  a  lantern  than  Pete  appeared 
hobbling  down  the  steps  into  the  dim  interior  with 
the  bell,  that  Jo  had  tied  to  the  ladder,  in  his  hand. 
This  the  old  sailor  felt  would  give  the  clue  to  the 
mystery,  and  it  did. 

"Here,  Skipper,  I  found  this  tied  aft."  Jim 
took  it  and  recognized  it  at  a  glance. 

"  Ho !  ho !  "  he  cried,  "  this  is  some  of  Jo's  work. 
He  and  Tom  have  been  up  to  some  devilment. 
I  bet  my  sombrero  that  those  two  rascals  were  the 
ghosts  you  saw."  But  the  old  sailor  did  not  want 
to  give  up  the  dubious  honor  of  having  seen  some 
live  spirits,  and  so  he  stuck  to  his  story. 
112 


TOM'S  BAD   LUCK  113 

"  But  these  were  real  ghosts,  sir.  I  seen  'em 
with  my  two  eyes,  and  their  faces  were  white  and 
green,  like  nothing  human." 

"  He's  shure  roight,  sor,"  declared  the  boy  who 
had  now  put  in  a  cautious  appearance.  "My  grand- 
father has  seen  ghosts  in  his  time." 

Jim  laughed  and  began  an  examination  of  the 
floor,  whirling  the  light  from  the  lantern  slowly 
around  until  he  came  to  some  damp  footprints  in 
the  middle  of  the  floor. 

"  These  ghosts  must  have  worn  moccasins/*  Jim 
remarked,  "  for  if  I  don't  mistake  that  is  the  sign 
of  'em,  and  they  got  their  feet  damp.  You  stay 
here  long  enough  and  you  will  probably  hear  them 
sneeze." 

"But  how  was  they  complected  that  way?" 
questioned  old  Pete,  his  face  growing  very  red  with 
the  possibility  of  his  being  made  a  fool  of  by  a 
couple  of  kids. 

"  I  guess  they  were  bilious,  those  ghosts,"  re- 
marked Jim,  "  or  maybe  it  was  sulphur  they  rubbed 
on.  They  once  saw  me  scare  some  savages  that 
;way  down  in  Hawaii." 

"  I  call  it  a  durned  outrage,  on  an  old  man  like 
me,  to  have  a  couple  of  fool  kids  play  a  trick  like 
that.  I  hurt  my  leg  too,  Skipper." 


114       FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE  SIERRAS 

"  How  was  that  ? "  inquired  Jim,  not  without 
malice  aforethought. 

"Well,  you  see,  it  was  this  a  way,  Skipper," 
explained  old  Pete  shamefacedly,  "  I  seen  this 
peculiar  object  or  two  in  the  forecastle,  and  I  says 
to  myself,  '  The  skipper  ought  to  know  about  this/ 
so  I  jumps  up  and  starts  to  report  it  to  you " 

"  I  had  the  same  thought,  sor,"  cut  in  the  boy. 

"  Yes,  and  he  got  in  my  way  going  up  the  lad- 
ider,  and  I  fell  and  cut  my  leg."  He  showed  the 
place  to  Jim,  and  the  latter,  though  trying  hard  not 
to  laugh  at  the  old  chap's  explanations  of  his  scare, 
was  justly  indignant  when  he  saw  that  he  was  hurt. 

"Those  beggars  must  be  hiding  here,"  he  said. 
"  They  certainly  haven't  got  aft.  We  will  soon  root 
'em  out  and  I'll  give  them  something  to  remember 
this  performance  by  as  long  as  they  live." 

Then  began  a  systematic  search  of  the  forecastle. 
Of  course  they  did  not  find  Jo,  for,  as  we  know,  he 
was  safely  hidden  on  deck,  but  Tom  was  in  the 
forecastle,  and  was  bound  to  be  discovered  sooner 
or  later  in  so  small  a  space. 

"  Look  under  the  bunks  on  that  side,  boys,"  said 
Jim,  "I'll  take  this." 

"  Aye,  aye,  sir-sor,"  was  the  reply. 

But  after  a  most  careful  search,  turning  over 


TOM'S  BAD   LUCK  115 

blankets  and  bedding,  no  one  was  found.  Jim 
swung  the  lantern  under  the  dark  ladder,  but  no  one 
was  there.  Where  could  they  be?  They  must  be 
within  a  few  feet  of  them  and  yet  they  could  not  see 
them. 

"  It's  odd  about  them,"  remarked  Jim,  coming  to 
a  halt  in  the  middle  of  the  floor.  "  They  seem  to 
have  vanished." 

"  I  reckon  it  was  ghosts,  after  all,"  said  old 
Pete. 

The  only  pieces  of  furniture  in  the  place  were  a 
small  trunk  belonging  to  the  boy,  an  impossible 
hiding  place  for  lads  the  size  of  Jo  or  Tom— and 
Pete's  battered  old  sea-chest.  This  latter  Pete 
opened,  it  was  not  locked,  and  saw  only  a  heap  of 
old  clothes. 

"  Not  here,  Skipper,"  he  said,  shutting  down  the 
lid  with  a  snap. 

"  They  must  have  got  up  on  deck  then,"  said 
Jim,  puzzled. 

So  the  party  adjourned  to  the  deck,  Jim  carry- 
ing the  lantern  to  aid  him  in  the  search. 

"What  did  you  find?"  roared  the  captain. 

"  It  was  Tom  and  Jo,  sir,"  yelled  Jim,  "  but  we 
can't  locate  them.  Have  you  seen  them  skulking 
aft,  Captain?" 


Ii6       FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE  SIERRAS 

"  Nobody  has  gone  by  me,"  cried  the  captain. 
"  They  must  be  for'ard." 

Just  then  Juarez  joined  in  the  search". 

"Look  in  the  bow,"  he  advised,  whet1  he  found 
How  matters  stood. 

So  paying  no  attention  to  the  water  and  spray 
that  came  over  the  bow.,  they  made  their  way  for- 
ward, Jim  in  the  lead  with  the  lantern.  He  swung 
the  light  in  among  the  chains,  but  a  deep  shadow 
cast  by  the  lantern  hid  Jo,  who  laid  low,  making 
himself  as  small  as  possible,  his  head  buried  close 
to  the  deck. 

But  Juarez's  keen  eyes  saw  a  dark  object  crouch- 
ing in  the  furthest  corner.  He  dived  past  Jim 
and  caught  hold  of  the  cowering  Jo  and  in  spite 
of  his  struggles  pulled  him  to  the  surface.  Jo  ap- 
peared like  a  much  disheveled  criminal  when  he 
was  dragged  out. 

"Well,"  said  Jim,  "you  are  a  pretty  looking  fel- 
low. Where's  your  pal?" 

"  Tom  ?  "  questioned  Jo  grumpily.  "  He  was  in 
the  forecastle  when  I  saw  him  last." 

"  You  will  have  to  pay  for  this  night's  rumpus," 
warned  Jim. 

"  Near  made  me  break  my  leg,"  growled  Pete, 
"with  your  foolin'."  In  spite  of  his  present  pre- 


TOM'S  BAD   LUCK  117 

clicament  Jo  could  not  help  laughing  heartily  at  the 
recollection  of  old  Pete  and  the  boy  scrambling  like 
a  couple  of  scared  cats  up  the  ladder  of  the  fore- 
castle. 

"  You  won't  feel  so  gay  when  we  get  through 
with  you/*  said  Jim.  He  marched  him  with  3 
heavy  hand  to  the  cabin  which  he  occupied,  shoved 
the  angry  and  resisting  Joseph  within  and  shut 
and  locked  the  door.  Then  they  started  out  in  a 
final  search  for  Tom,  the  only  one  of  this  desperate 
gang  of  night  marauders  that  now  remained  un- 
captured. 

"  I  declare,  I  don't  know  what  has  become  of 
that  boy,"  said  Jim. 

"  He  couldn't  have  fallen  overboard  ? "  ques- 
tioned Juarez.  Jim  negatived  that  idea  emphatic- 
ally. 

"  Tom's  too  cautious  for  that,"  he  said. 

Where  was  he  ?  The  reader  knows  well  enough, 
being  an  adept  on  solving  all  these  mysteries.  He 
was  in  old  Pete's  sea-chest  hidden  down  under  the 
clothes,  and  Pete,  whose  eyesight  was  not  as  good 
as  it  once  was,  had  failed  to  see  any  sign  of  him. 
Now,  when  he  heard  Jim  and  the  rest  go  on  deck, 
he  decided  that  it  was  time  to  get  out  of  his  un- 
comfortable prison,  which  was  much  too  cramped. 


Il8       FRONTIER  BOYS  IN    THE   SIERRAS 

What  was  his  dismay  to  find  that  he  was  indeed 
a  prisoner,  for  when  old  Pete  had  shut  down  the 
top  of  the  chest  it  had  fastened  shut.  Tom  began 
to  feel  stifled  for  air,  partly  imagination  on  his 
part,  and  partly  fact.  It  was  true  that  some  air 
could  get  in,  through  where  the  rope  handles  went, 
but  not  much.  Tom  struggled  till  he  got  his  hand 
in  his  pocket,  hoping  to  find  his  knife  with  which 
he  would  cut  the  rope  handles  and  push  the  pieces 
through  the  holes  and  thus  get  enough  air  to  sus- 
tain life,  but  as  luck  would  have  it,  his  knife  was 
not  there. 

He  began  to  pant  now,  and  gasp  and  think  of  all 
the  horrible  tales  he  had  ever  read  of  people  being 
buried  alive  and  of  similar  tragedies,  until  he  was 
almost  hysterical.  He  yelled  for  help,  but  his  voice 
was  muffled,  and  besides  there  was  none  to  hear. 
He  tried  to  attract  attention  by  beating  with  his 
hands  against  the  top  of  the  chest. 

After  what  seemed  an  interminable  time,  the  half- 
fainting  Tom  heard  feet  clattering  down  the  steep 
ladder  into  the  forecastle,  and  this  brought  him 
partially  to. 

"  Jim,  get  me  out,"  he  cried,  and  his  voice  came 
feebly  to  the  ears  of  the  searchers. 

"  I  heard  Tom,"  cried  Juarez. 


"  TOM  DID  NOT  NOT  TRY  TO  MAKE  HIS    ESCAPE."— P.  I IQ.       Frontier  Boys 
in  Sierras. 


TOM'S  BAD   LUCK  119 

"  Sounded  like  a  cat  mewing,"  remarked  the  un- 
leeeling  Jim.  "  Listen/'  Again  they  heard  it  and 
a  faint  pounding  inside  the  sea-chest. 

"  He's  in  that  chest,"  cried  Jim,  and  he  tried  to 
open  it. 

"  Locked  in,"  said  Juarez.     "  Let  Pete  open  it." 

Pete  came  forward,  after  fishing  a  key  out  of  the 
depths  of  his  pocket. 

"  Lucky  I  could  find  it,"  he  said.  Then  he  flung 
the  top  of  the  chest  back.  Tom  did  not  try  to  make 
his  escape,  or  put  up  a  fight  of  any  kind,  for  he 
was  all  in,  and  was  only  too  glad  to  be  captured, 
for,  as  he  figured,  and  quite  correctly,  that  even 
the  captain  could  not  put  him  in  a  worse  place 
than  he  had  put  himself. 

11  You  look  more  like  a  ghost  than  the  other  one," 
said  Jim  with  a  grin. 

After  he  was  sufficiently  revived,  he,  too,  was 
locked  up,  and  further  proceedings  were  put  off 
until  the  morrow.  In  the  meantime  it  was  decided 
to  have  a  little  fun  with  these  practical  jokers  on 
the  next  day,  so  as  to  teach  them  the  seriousness 
of  life  on  the  ocean  wave. 

So  at  ten  the  next  morning  a  court-martial  was 
held  in  the  dining  saloon.  As  the  weather  still  re- 
mained dark  and  overcast,  it  was  necessary  to  have 


120       FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE  SIERRAS 

the  big  lamp  over  the  table  lit.  The  judges  were 
the  captain,  who  sat  at  one  end  of  the  table,  and 
Juarez,  who  was  at  his  left,  and  Jim,  at  the  right. 
For  once  the  captain  took  off  his  old  cap  and 
showed  a  bald,  pink  dome,  with  tufted  gray  at  the 
side.  His  face  wore  a  grimness  that  betokened 
hanging  for  the  culprits — nothing  less.  The  court 
was  ready. 

Then  there  was  a  clattering  of  feet  on  the  stairs, 
and  the  prisoners  were  brought  in  by  the  sheriff, 
who  was  none  other  than  the  tall  shepherd.  They 
were  tied  with  ropes,  that  is,  their  hands  were, 
and  their  hang-dog  looks  were  enough  to  condemn 
them.  They  did  not  dare  face  the  captain,  who 
was  regarding  them  with  great  severity,  but  looked 
askance  at  Jim,  who  paid  no  attention  to  them,  but 
was  busy  making  notes  on  a  pad  of  paper  before 
him  on  the  table. 


CHAPTER   XIV 

THE   TRIAL 

THE  sheriff  was  compelled  to  leave  his  prisoners 
!n  the  hands  of  the  court  and  hasten  on  deck  to 
take  the  wheel,  as  the  ship  was  short-handed,  nearly 
the  whole  crew  being  present  on  court-martial  duty. 
The  prisoners  were  represented  by  John  Berwick, 
the  engineer,  who  entered  into  their  defense  with 
much  interest  and  eclat.  The  specifications  were 
in  two  charges,  it  being  related: 

I.  "That  Joseph  Darlington,  a  native  of  New 
York  State,  and  Thomas  Darlington,  a  native  of 
Missouri,"  read  Jim  with  sonorous  voice.  At  the 
word  Missouri,  John  Berwick,  the  counsel  for  the 
defendants,  was  on  his  feet  in  an  instant.  He  said : 

"  I  move  this  honorable  court  that  specification 
No.  I  be  quashed,  it  being  therein  erroneously  stated 
that  my  client,  Thomas  Darlington,  comes  from 
Missouri." 

"  Motion  to  squash  denied/*  said  James  severely, 
not  being  entirely  at  home  in  legal  phraseology. 

"  Then,  your  Honors,  I  move  to  amend,  by  strik- 
ing out  the  word  '  Missouri/  and  substituting  that 

121 


122       FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE   SIERRAS 

of  New  York,  this  being  a  manifest  attempt  to 
prejudice  the  case  of  my  client,  the  prosecution,  no 
doubt,  being  desirous  of  proving  that  this  innocent 
lad  was  one  of  the  notorious  Jesse  James  gang,  that 
operated  in  Missouri  and  the  Southwest." 

The  defendants'  attorney  stood  tapping  the  table 
before  him  with  one  long  finger  and  gazing 
earnestly  at  the  court,  which  seemed  to  be 
struggling  hard  to  suppress  some  deep  and  hidden 
emotion. 

"  The  amendment  is  allowed,"  gasped  Jim,  gaz- 
ing over  the  heads  of  the  two  sullen-looking  pris- 
oners. Then  the  first  charge,  as  amended  read: 

I.  "  That  Joseph  Darlington,  a  native  of  New 
York,  and  Thomas  Darlington,  likewise  a  native  of 
New  York,  are  hereby  charged  with  conduct  unbe- 
coming an  officer  and  a  gentleman,  in  that  they 
did  on  the  night  of  August  eighteenth,  18 — ,  felon- 
iously steal  through  the  darkness  into  the  apart- 
ments (better  known  as  fo'scle)  of  one,  Peter  Mc- 
Closkey,  and  of  one,  Aloyisius  Durgan  (minor), 
and  did  with  malice  aforethought,  disturb  the 
peace,  quiet  and  sleep  of  the  said  McCloskey  and 
the  said  Durgan,  by  representing  themselves  to  be 
ghosts,  with  green  faces  (here  Tom  snickered,  but 
one  look  from  the  captain  at  the  head  of  the  table 


THE  TRIAL  123 

sobered  him,  indeed,  it  was  the  captain's  presence 
on  this  trying  occasion  that  lent  dignity  and  reality 
to  the  scene,  for  he  evidently  meant  business,  and 
his  sternness  was  rounded  out  by  the  impressive- 
ness  of  his  polished  dome.  When  quiet  settled 
heavily  once  more  upon  the  trial,  James  resumed 
his  reading  of  the  charge),  representing  themselves 
to  be  ghosts  with  green  faces,  to  the  grave  detri- 
ment of  the  peace  of  mind  of  the  said  McCloskey 
and  said  Durgan,  and  furthermore,  causing  them 
severe  bodily  contusions  and  bruises  upon  their 
limbs  while  attempting  to  escape  from  said  ghosts, 
at  the  time  and  place  before  mentioned,  thus  un- 
fitting them  for  active  service  aboard  their  ship,  the 
Sea  Eagle,  James  Darlington,  Master."  At  this 
last  statement  Captain  Kerns  leaned  forward  over 
the  table,  and  regarded  the  two  prisoners  with  great 
severity,  and  they  felt  in  their  bones  that  they  were 
going  to  catch  it.  They  looked  appealingly  at 
Juarez,  but  he  appeared  entirely  oblivious  of  their 
presence. 

II.  "  Furthermore,  it  is  charged  that  the  said 
Joseph  Darlingon  and  Thomas  Darlington  on  the 
night  of  the  i8th  of  August,  18 — ,  did  resist  their 
superior  officer "  Here  Tom  growled  some- 
thing in  the  ear  of  his  attorney,  who  immediately 


124       FRONTIER   BOYS  IN   THE   SIERRAS 

rose  to  his  feet  and  said,  "  My  client  objects  to  the 
word  superior,  as  not  being  true  and  applicable,  he 
says  that  the  aforesaid  officer  only  thinks  that  he  is 
superior." 

"  This  objection  is  overruled,"  said  Jim,  the 
judge,  his  mouth  twitching;  "by  superior  is  meant 
commanding  officer," 

"  Certainly,  Skipper,"  rumbled  the  captain ; 
"  you're  right.  Don't  let  'em  give  you  any  non- 
sense, you  are  in  command  of  this  ship." 

Nothing  more  from  Tom,  and  the  reading  con- 
tinued. "  Therefore,  the  two  defendants  are 
charged  with  mutiny  on  the  high  seas." 

"  Are  you  ready  to  plead  to  these  specifications  ?  " 
inquired  Jim,  looking  at  the  prisoners'  counsel. 

"  We  are,"  replied  John  Berwick. 

"What  is  your  plea?" 

"  Not  guilty,  your  Honors." 

"  We  will  proceed  to  trial,"  said  Jim  solemnly. 

"  They  deserve  the  rope's  end  for  their  impu- 
dence," growled  the  captain. 

Old  Pete  was  the  first  witness  and  he  was  much 
impressed  by  the  dignity  of  the  court,  as  was  evident 
as  he  limped  in  with  his  hat,  or  rather  cap,  in  hand. 
iHe  took  the  stand,  which  was  an  armchair  placed 
facing  the  court,  beyond  the  end  of  the  table.  No 


THE  TRIAL  125 

oooner  had  he  seated  himself  than  the  Sea  Eagle 
gave  a  sudden  lurch  to  the  starboard,  and  he  would 
have  gone,  chair  and  all,  into  the  wall  if  John  Ber- 
wick had  not  caught  him. 

"  Beg  pardon,  your  Honors,  but  this  thing  ain't 
anchored  right." 

"  What  is  your  name?  "  inquired  Jim. 

"  Peter  McCloskey,  sir." 

"  Where  was  you  born,  Mr.  McCloskey  ?  " 

"  On  a  farm  near  Darien,  Connecticut,"  was  the 
answer. 

"  What  is  you  present  occupation  ?  " 

"  I  am  sailor  aboard  the  Sea  Eagle,  sir." 

"And  where  were  you  on  the  night  of  August 
i8th?" 

"I  was  asleep  in  the  fo'scle  of  the  Sea  Eagle, 
sir." 

"  Tell  what  occurred,  if  anything." 

This  Peter  McCloskey  did  with  much  enthusiasm 
and  picturesque  detail,  and  then  John  Berwick,  the 
attorney  for  the  prisoners,  started  in  to  cross- 
examine  the  witness,  who  kept  himself  firmly 
anchored  by  means  of  two  large  feet  outspread  at 
separate  angles. 

"  Now,  Peter,"  he  commenced  suavely,  "  tell  the 
court  how  much  you  drank  on  the  eventful  night  of 


126       FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE  SIERRAS 

the  i8th  of  August,  when  you  saw  these  remark- 
able apparitions." 

"Well,  your  Honors,"  said  Pete,  hesitatingly, 
"you  know  how  it  is  yourselves.  I  took  a  nip 
before  I  turned  in.  Old  bones  have  to  be  warmed 
somehow." 

"  Exactly,"  said  the  prisoners'  attorney.  "  Now, 
McCloskey,  tell  the  court  if  you  were  not  in  a  con- 
dition to  see  things  on  the  night  in  question." 

"  No,  sir,  Mr.  Berwick,  I  was  as  sober  as  a  judge 
when  I  woke  up  and  saw  those  green  things  staring 
at  me." 

"  Are  you  sure,  Peter,  that  you  didn't  dream  all 
this  ?  "  inquired  Berwick. 

"  I  didn't  dream  this,  sir,"  replied  Peter,  show- 
ing a  bruise  on  his  leg. 

This  was  quite  unanswerable,  and  old  Pete  was 
allowed  to  go  with  the  honors  of  war,  and  he  was 
followed  on  the  stand  by  the  Irish  lad,  who  was  a 
willing  witness  and  had  many  remarkable  things 
to  tell  about  ghosts,  their  natures  and  dispositions 
and  their  actions  on  the  old  sod  of  Ireland,  where 
green-faced  ghosts  no  doubt  abounded.  As  his 
story  confirmed  old  Pete's,  things  looked  dubious 
for  Tom  and  Jo. 

Their  attorney,  however,  made  an  eloquent  plea 


THE  TRIAL  127 

for  the  life  and  liberty  of  the  two  prisoners  at  the 
bar.  He  said  in  part : 

"  I  ask  your  Honors  to  deal  leniently  with  these 
two  lads  and  to  recall  how  much  they  have  had 
to  contend  with  in  their  short  young  lives.  They 
have  had  only  the  harshest  surroundings.  Having 
come  under  the  baleful  influence  of  Captain  Bill 
Broom,  the  former  owner  of  this  vessel,  you  can- 
not rightly  blame  them  for  their  strong  sense  of 
humor. 

"  I  think  that  a  reprimand  is  due  them  for  their 
infraction  of  the  ship's  discipline  and  for  resisting 
their  superior  officer  (a  grin  from  Jim),  but  I  ask 
this  Honorable  Court  to  remember  their  tender 
years  and  to  deal  gently  with  the  prisoners.  If  you 
do  not,  I  fear  that  ghosts  with  green  faces  will 
haunt  your  fevered  sleep  forever.  I  leave  their 
fate  in  your  hands." 

Bowing  low,  the  attorney  for  the  prisoners  sat 
down.  Then  the  culprits  were  sent  back  to  their 
cabin-cell  while  the  judges  took  their  fate  under 
advisement.  There  was  quite  a  lengthy  discussion. 
Juarez  being  influenced  by  his  friend,  the  engineer, 
was  in  favor  of  having  the  captain  give  them  at 
severe  call  down,  and  let  it  go  at  that.  While  the 
captain  himself  favored  the  rope's  end  and  im- 


128       FRONTIER   BOYS  IN    THE   SIERRAS 

prisonment  in  the  lazaret  that  had  not  been  used 
since  old  Broom's  day. 

It  was  their  resistance  to  the  skipper  that  added 
to  his  severity,  for  he  was  a  firm  believer  in  disci- 
pline. But  Jim  suggested  a  more  reasonable  course 
that  would  better  favor  the  ends  of  justice  (which 
was  not  the  rope's  end) — than  that  which  the  other 
two  judges  recommended.  His  plan  was  finally 
adopted ;  then  the  bound  prisoners  were  summoned 
before  the  August  Court.  (That  is  a  pun  the 
writer  will  have  to  make  for  Jo,  as  he  is  not  in  his 
normal  spirits.) 

They  stood  at  the  end  of  the  table,  looking  sullen 
and  defiant,  and  evidently  expecting  the  worst. 

"  It  is  the  finding  of  the  court  that  you,  Joseph 
Darlington  and  Thomas  Darlington,"  read  Jim  with 
much  emphasis  and  in  a  sonorous  voice,  "  are 
guilty  on  both  charges  of  the  specifications,  and 
by  the  unanimous  judgment  of  the  court,  you  are 
sentenced,"  Jim  paused  to  give  due  impressiveness 
to  the  following  words;  meanwhile  the  two  boys 
paled  slightly,  "  sentenced  to  hard  labor,  shoveling 
coal,  until  Pete  and  the  boy  get  over  their  lameness. 
This  sentence  to  be  immediately  executed."  .And 
it  was. 

"  I'm  glad  the  sentence  is  going  to  be  executed^ 


THE   TRIAL  129 

instead  of  us,"  said  Jo  as  he  was  sent  below  with 
his  comrade  in  crime  to  get  busy  feeding  the  in- 
satiable furnace.  Altogether  the  boys  were  pleased 
to  get  off  without  the  rope's  end  being  used  on 
them. 

"  That  was  a  good  sentence,  Judge,"  said  John 
Berwick  to  Jim  after  the  court  had  adjourned.  "  It 
met  the  case,  for  the  real  damage  done  was  having 
Pete  and  the  boy  laid  off  on  account  of  their 
prank." 

"  That's  it,"  remarked  Jim.  "  Then,  too,  Jo  and 
Tom  are  husky  and  hard  workers,  and,  with  them 
shoveling  coal,  we  ought  to  get  to  the  coast  now  in 
a  few  days." 


CHAPTER  XV 

"  THE  MARIA  CROTHERS  " 

As  the  boys  drew  near  the  end  of  the  voyage, 
they  began  to  be  anxious  to  see  the  land  once  more, 
not  that  they  were  tired  of  the  sea,  for  they  had 
come  to  regard  the  Sea  Eagle  as  their  home,  and 
every  plank  was  familiar  to  them.  Moreover,  there 
was  nothing  equal  to  the  freedom  of  life  on  the 
ocean  wave,  but  they  were  anxious  to  start  for  the 
Sierras  to  attempt  the  discovery  of  the  Lost  Mine, 
so  that  perchance  they  could  take  a  trip  around  the 
world. 

According  to  their  calculations  it  was  now  only 
a  question  of  a  few  days  before  they  would  make 
the  harbor  from  which  they  had  sailed  a  few 
months  before.  Jim  was  on  the  quarter  deck  talk- 
ing over  matters  with  Captain  Kerns.  It  was  a 
very  pleasant  afternoon,  with  a  clear  shining  sun, 
and  a  sparkling  sea,  and  sufficient  breeze  to  make 
the  air  alive.  The  captain  was  seated  in  his  scarred 
but  comfortable  armchair.  That  was  the  only 
piece  of  furniture  which  he  had  brought  with  him 
from  his  cabin  on  the  coast.  He  wore  his  heavy 
130 


"THE  MARIA   CROTHERS"  131 

woolen  jacket  buttoned  across  his  chest  because  it 
was  cool  even  in  the  sun.  Jim  leaned  easily  against 
the  rail,  dressed  in  his  well-remembered  blue  flan- 
nel shirt,  and  trousers  to  match,  with  the  gray  som- 
brero pushed  back  from  his  forehead.  His  bronzed 
face  and  keen  gray  eyes  determined  him  to  be  a 
very  fair  specimen  of  the  American  boy  when  in 
top-notch  condition. 

"  I  hope  you  will  be  able  to  look  after  the  Sea 
Eagle,  Captain,"  propounded  Jim,  "  while  we  are  in 
the  mountains." 

The  captain  mused  for  a  while,  pursing  up  his 
eyes,  then  he  took  his  short  blackened  pipe  out  of 
his  mouth. 

"  I'll  do  it,  Skipper,"  he  said.  "  I'm  fond  of  this 
yere  boat,  and  it's  like  home  to  me.  Then,  too,  I 
like  you  boys.  There's  nothin'  of  the  fresh, 
gabby  kid  about  any  of  you.  I'll  do  it  fer  you, 
Skipper."  And  the  bargain  was  sealed  with  a 
warm  grip  between  the  two  friends. 

"  There's  one  thing  I  ought  to  speak  about 
though,"  said  Jim,  "  and  that  is  in  regard  to  old 
Bill  Broom,  the  pirate,  who  had  the  Sea  Eagle  be- 
fore we  took  her.  He  is  a  revengeful  old  beggar 
a»d  may  make  you  trouble  if  he  gets  a  chance." 

"  I  never  really  met  Broom,  thougH  I  came  near 


I32       FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE  SIERRAS 

it  once,"  remarked  the  old  captain  grimly,  "  but 
if  he  is  wise,  he  won't  come  bothering  around  me 
or  the  'Sea  Eagle  either." 

"I  expect  old  Pete  will  stay  aboard  and  the 
boy,"  said  Jim,  "so  you  won't  be  without  some 
company." 

"  I've  always  got  '  Lyssus '  here,"  grinned  the 
captain,  picking  up  the  big  tortoise  shell  that  was 
purring  around  his  legs.  "  I  don't  want  any  bet- 
ter company  than  him." 

"  He  is  a  good  old  fellow,"  said  Jim,  playfully 
nipping  the  cat's  ears  with  his  fingers,  "  and  a 
mighty  good  sailor,  too."  Just  then  Jim  chanced 
to  look  up,  scanning  the  expanse  of  sea  ahead,  not 
with  the  expectation  of  seeing  anything,  but  just 
force  of  habit.  Immediately  he  straightened  up 
»and  his  gray  eyes  narrowed  with  interest. 

"  What  is  it,  Skipper  ?  "  questioned  the  old  cap- 
tain, getting  to  his  feet. 

"  It  looks  like  smoke,"  exclaimed  Jim,  "  about 
three  points  on  our  starboard  bow." 

"  Maybe  it's  a  steamer,"  said  the  captain.  "  We 
ought  to  be  running  across  them  now  once  in  a 
While." 

"Possibly  it's  a  volcano,"  suggested  Jim. 
r    By  this  time  the  captain  had  got  the  glass  from 


"THE  MARIA   CROTHERS"  133 

his  cabin,  and  had  it  focused  on  the  slender  blue- 
gray  column  of  smoke  that  was  rising  close  to  the 
southeastern  horizon. 

"  It's  a  ship,  almost  Eurned  out,"  exclaimed  the 
captain. 

"  By  jove ! "  cried  Jim.  "  We  will  see  exactly 
what  it  is,"  and  he  gave  the  order  to  Pete,  who 
was  at  the  wheel,  to  change  the  Sea  Eagle's  course 
accordingly. 

"  I  reckon  nobody  is  alive  aboard,"  remarked  the 
captain.  "  She  looks  pretty  well  burned  out." 

No  sooner  had  the  ship's  course  been  changed, 
than  every  member  of  the  crew  was  out  on  deck 
to  see  what  was  up,  and  all  were  intensely  inter- 
ested watching  the  column  of  smoke  that  now  could 
be  seen  rising  from  a  dark  hull  close  to  the  water, 
marking  one  of  those  oft-repeated  tragedies  of  the 
sea.  Rapidly  the  gallant  little  Sea  Eagle  plowed 
the  blue  surface  of  the  ocean  in  a  straight  course 
towards  the  burning  ship. 

Many  were  the  conjectures  as  to  how  the  de- 
stroyed ship  came  to  be  in  her  present  hapless  con- 
dition. Jo  thought  that  she  had  probably  caught 
afire  and  the  crew  had  been  compelled  to  abandon 
her,  but  the  engineer  shook  his  head  at  this  theory. 

"  I  don't  agree  with  you,  Joseph.     My  idea  is 


134       FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE  SIERRAS 

that  she  is  a  derelict  that  has  been  abandoned  pos- 
sibly years  ago.  Some  ship  has  crossed  her  trail 
recently,  and  to  get  rid  of  her  as  an  uncharted 
menace  to  ships  in  regular  travel,  has  set  fire  to  her, 
but  without  completing  her  destruction." 

"  They  are  bad  things  to  be  lying  around  loose," 
said  Jim.  "  If  we  had  been  off  our  course  a  little, 
and  it  had  been  some  hours  later,  we  would  have 
stood  a  jolly  good  chance  of  running  plump  into 
this  ship,  and  if  we  had  not  gone  down,  we  would 
have  been  badly  stove  up." 

"You  would  have  gone  down,"  said  the  engi- 
neer briefly. 

"  I  suppose  there  are  a  good  many  of  these 
derelicts  floating  around  the  oceans,"  remarked 
Juarez. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  engineer,  "  and  some  of  them 
have  most  interesting  histories.  There  was  a 
curious  incident  in  regard  to  a  barque  named  the 
Norton  that  was  abandoned  in  the  Atlantic  some 
years  ago.  The  skipper  and  the  crew  were  rescued 
by  a  sailing  vessel,  and,  after  a  while,  they  drew 
near  an  English  port. 

"  The  skipper  of  the  Norton  was  pacing  the  poop 
deck  from  force  of  habit,  when  he  suddenly  stopped 
as  if  petrified,  and  his  jaw  dropped,  for  there  ahead 


"THE   MARIA    CROTHERS"  135 

of  him  alongside  of  a  wharf  was  his  lost  and 
abandoned  ship.  The  explanation  was  simple.  She 
had  been  picked  up  by  a  passing  steamer  and  towed 
into  port,  for  salvage." 

The  Sea  Eagle  was  now  within  a  half  mile  of  the 
derelict  and  she  could  be  made  out  quite  plainly. 
She  was  a  good-sized  wooden  vessel,  a  three- 
sticker,  but  the  masts  had  been  broken  off  and  the 
ship  had  been  rendered  entirely  helpless.  She  was 
rolling  sluggishly  to  the  motion  of  the  waves,  with- 
out life  or  hope. 

"  She's  the  Maria  Crothers,  London,"  said  the 
captain  from  the  upper  deck,  looking  through  the 
glass,  "  and  she  looks  like  she  has  been  floating 
around  for  several  years." 

In  a  few  minutes  the  Sea  Eagle  was  lying  to,  a 
short  distance  from  the  derelict.  It  was  evident 
that  she  had  been  abandoned  a  long  time.  The 
sides  and  bottom  of  the  ship  were'^narusted'vvith 
barnacles  and  long  green  streamers  of  sea  weeds  on 
her  sides  and  bow  gave  her  a  most  ancient  and 
dilapidated  appearance. 

In  the  center  of  the  main  deck  smoke  was  slowly 
rising  into  the  air  from  the  charred  timbers. 

"  She  is  too  water-logged  to  burn,"  said  the  cap- 
tain. 


136       FRONTIER   BOYS  IN   THE   SIERRAS 

"We  will  try  to  blow  her  up,  Captain,"  cried 
Jim.  "  She  is  a  dangerous  proposition  so  near  to 
the  coast." 

"  It's  a  good  idea,  lad,"  agreed  the  captain. 

"  Lower  the  boat,  my  hearties,"  ordered  Jim  with 
a  grin. 

They  put  two  kegs  of  powder  into  the  boat,  and 
with  the  material  for  a  couple  of  long  fuses,  they 
started  for  the  derelict,  now  but  a  short  distance 
off.  None  of  the  boys  will  ever  forget  that  board- 
ing of  the  abandoned  vessel,  not  on  account  of  the 
danger,  for  there  was  none,  but  for  the  unusualness 
of  the  occasion  and  the  picturesqueness  of  the  scene. 

The  sun  was  just  setting  as  they  rowed  towards 
the  Maria  Crothers,  or  what  was  once  that  gallant 
vessel,  and  the  crimson  glow  came  over  the  slow- 
rolling  swell  and  touched  everything  with  a  lurid 
light,  especially  the  desolate  derelict.  As  they  were 
nearing  the  hulk,  Tom  exclaimed: 

"  Look,  there  is  a  shark  coming  out  from  a  hole 
under  her  bow !  " 

Sure  enough,  with  sinuous  motion  a  long  and 
ugly-looking  shark  swam  slowly  a  short  distance 
below  the  surface,  taking  on  a  greenish  hue,  from 
the  color  of  the  water.  There  was  something  singu- 


"THE  MARIA   CROTHERS"  137 

larly  repellent  about  him  and  peculiarly  sinister  in 
his  every  motion. 

"  If  he  gets  too  sassy,  we  will  treat  him  like  we 
<lid  his  friends  and  brethren  near  the  coast  of 
Maine,"  said  Jim.  "  When  we  were  in  the  canoes. 
Remember,  Jeems  ?  " 

"  Don't  mention  it  to  me,"  warned  Jeems.  "  I'm 
liable  to  have  a  chill." 

It  was  not  difficult  to  board  the  derelict,  when 
the  boat  was  brought  on  the  lee  side,  for  the  vessel 
was  down  well  with  the  water.  Jim  jumped  aboard 
and  the  others  followed,  except  old  Pete,  who  was 
at  the  oars ;  he  kept  the  boat  close  while  the  barrels 
of  powder  were  transferred. 

The  boys  found  nothing  on  the  old  craft  of 
especial  interest.  They  could  still  see  that  the 
cabin  had  been  a  handsome  one,  with  dark  wood 
like  mahogany  and  properly  gilded,  but  everything 
was  now  mildewed  or  covered  with  green  slime. 
There  were  sea  things  crawling  everywhere. 

Jim  found  his  work  cut  out  for  him  to  get  the 
powder  planted  where  it  would  do  the  best  execu- 
tion. Darkness  came  on,  and  he  was  busy  aft  with 
one  keg  while  Juarez  and  the  engineer  were  plant- 
ing the  other  for'ard.  They  had  got  a  number  of 


138       FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE  SIERRAS 

lanterns  from  the  ship  to  work  by,  and,  from  a 
distance,  they  looked  like  glow  worms  on  the  dark 
surface  of  the  waters. 

It  was  a  most  weird  and  peculiar  sight,  but  after 
nearly  two  hours'  work,  everything  was  ready. 
Only  Jim,  Juarez  and  the  engineer  were  left  upon 
the  derelict,  with  old  Pete  ready  at  the  oars  to  pull 
away  as  soon  as  the  men  should  jump  into  the  boat 
after  firing  the  fuses. 

"Already  for'ard!"  yelled  Jim. 

"Ready,"  came  Juarez's  reply. 

They  touched  the  long  fuse  and  then  ran  and 
stepped  lightly  into  the  boat.  Pete  dug  the  oars 
into  the  water  and  away  the  boat  leapt  towards  the 
Sea  Eagle.  She  had  cleared  the  derelict  about  a 
hundred  feet,  when  with  two  dull  shaking  thuds 
and  a  glare  of  red  light  at  either  end,  the  derelict 
was  blown  to  destruction,  and  pieces  of  broken 
timber  fell  all  about  the  boat.  Some  pieces  fell 
even  on  the  deck  of  the  Sea  Eagle.  In  a  few 
minutes  the  broken  hull  had  sunk  below  the  dark 
•waters  of  the  Pacific.  The  work  had  been  well 
Hone. 

Two  days  later  the  Sea  Eagle  turned  from 
the  windy  channel  into  her  own  harbor  on  the 
southern  coast  of  California  with  the  flag  flying, 


"THE  MARIA   CROTHERS"  139 

and  as  the  anchor  chain  rattled  down  into  the  quiet 
water,  there  came  a  salute  from  the  two  cannon 
on  the  upper  deck.  Then  Jim  turned  and  gripped 
the  hand  of  his  old  friend. 

"  Here  you  are  at  home,  Captain.  Now  it's  for 
the  Lost  Mine,  boys." 

"  And  good  luck  to  you,"  said  the  old  captain 
heartily.  "  I  and  the  Sea  Eagle  will  be  here  when 
you  return." 

The  boys  at  parting  gave  three  rousing  cheers. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

AN    EXCITING    CHARGE 

IT  was  indeed  a  beautiful  morning,  with  the  sun 
shining  with  a  clarity  that  is  characteristic  only  of 
the  higher  altitudes.  There  was  quite  a  procession 
coming  up  the  steep  mountain  trail.  As  yet  they 
could  not  be  made  out  distinctly,  as  they  were  so 
far  down  the  mountain  side.  Then  they  were  lost 
to  view  in  one  of  the  folds  of  the  slope. 

"  I  wonder  whom  those  tenderfeet  are  ?  "  The 
voice  came  from  a  man  who  was  crouching  behind 
a  granite  boulder.  He  had  been  watching  the 
approaching  party  intently  for  some  time.  "  One 
thing,  sartain,"  the  voice  continued,  "  them  fellars 
will  find  trouble  if  they  keep  traveling  in  this  neck 
of  the  woods." 

The  speaker  was  not  a  prepossessing-looking 
party.  He  was  of  squat  figure,  very  strongly  built. 
His  face  and  neck  burned  to  a  brick  red.  His  shirt 
of  a  nondescript  color  was  open  at  the  neck,  expos- 
ing a  hairy  throat.  A  rifle  was  gripped  firmly  in 
one  powerful  paw,  and  there  was  a  knife  and  pistol 
in  his  belt. 

140 


"AN  EXCITING  CHARGE  141 

He  was  an  ugly-looking  customer,  and  it  was 
evident  that  his  mission  was  not  a  peaceful  one. 
Once  more  he  took  a  look  down  the  trail.  The 
approaching  party  was  much  nearer  now  and  he 
could  count  the  individuals. 

"  Five !  "  he  exclaimed.  "  Looks  like  they  might 
give  the  boys  trouble.  That  fellar  in  front  has 
sartain  got  a  fine  horse." 

Already  the  voices  of  the  five  came  clearly  to  his 
ears,  and  it  would  not  be  long  before  they  would 
top  the  ridge,  and  the  scout,  for  such  he  was, 
would  be  discovered. 

"  It's  time  for  me  to  scat !  "  he  exclaimed. 

And  he  did,  taking  long  swinging  strides  that 
soon  took  him  out  of  sight  of  the  ridge,  into  a  belt 
of  pines.  Here  the  stranger  stopped  again  and 
watched  for  the  tenderfoot  party  to  put  in  an 
appearance.  He  did  not  have  long  to  wait,  for 
there  came  the  strong  clear  sound  of  voices,  and 
then  he  saw  a  gallant  figure  on  a  gray  horse  ride 
into  full  view.  This  young  fellow  was  dressed  in 
blue,  with  a  flannel  shirt  of  the  same  color,  and  a 
gray  sombrero,  which  was  pushed  back  from  his 
sunburnt  forehead. 

A  perfectly  polished  rifle  was  hung  across  his 
back,  and  there  was  a  revolver  in  the  holster  at 


142       FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE  SIERRAS 

his  hip.  The  young  fellow  rode  his  splendid  animal 
with  an  ease  and  mastery  that  showed  long  experi- 
ence. Behind  the  leader  rode  a  shorter  lad,  but 
very  stockily  built,  and  of  extremely  dark  com- 
plexion, with  heavy  black  hair,  cut  square  across. 

"That  chap  must  be  an  Injun,"  remarked  the 
watcher  in  the  pines. 

But  the  reader  who  is  more  intelligent  and  better 
informed,  knows  otherwise,  for  he  is  acquainted 
with  these  riders  and  has  been  in  their  company 
before,  and  it  is  not  necessary  to  pass  the  entire 
procession  in  review.  The  Frontier  Boys  were  all 
there,  and  Jeems  Howell  likewise.  The  man  in  the 
pines  was  deeply  interested  in  these  mounted  men, 
viewing  them  from  his  position  back  of  a  big  pine, 
in  front  of  which  was  a  screen  of  brush. 

He  saw  that  they  were  well  mounted  and  armed, 
nor  did  they  appear  entirely  like  tenderfeet  either. 
There  was  something  in  the  way  they  rode  and 
their  general  air  that  showed  that  they  could  take 
care  of  themselves.  Once  or  twice  he  partially 
raised  his  rifle  as  though  about  to  fire  at  the  leader, 
but  he  evidently  thought  better  of  it,  and  contented 
himself  with  a  mere  reconnoissance. 

The  Frontier  Boys  were  unmindful  that  they 
were  watched,  but  they  were  not  careless.  Juarez, 


AN   EXCITING   CHARGE  143 

especially,  seemed  on  the  alert,  and  even  suspicious. 
He  kept  looking  around  and  once  he  came  to  a  halt. 
Swinging  off  his  roan,  he  began  to  examine  the 
ground. 

"  Scent  something,  comrade  ? "  inquired  Jim 
gravely. 

"  Something  wrong  around  here/'  he  said. 

"  Panther,  painter,  or  mountain  lion  ? "  inquired 
Tom. 

"  Look  out,  he  will  bite  you,"  volunteered  Jo. 

Shaking  his  head,  Juarez  mounted  his  horse  and 
took  his  place  in  line,  and  the  procession  started 
again,  but  always  the  red-faced,  red-necked  scout 
kept  them  in  view  for  his  own  purposes.  He  did 
not  have  much  trouble  to  keep  up,  for  the  boys  did 
not  hurry  their  horses.  They  had  had  a  hard  pull 
for  several  hours  that  morning,  and  Jim  decided  it 
was  best  to  let  them  take  it  easy,  as  there  still  was 
plenty  of  hard  work  ahead. 

"  How  soon  will  we  reach  your  ancient  castle, 
Jeems  ?  "  inquired  Jim. 

"  In  time  for  dinner,  boss,  I  reckon,"  replied 
Jeems. 

"  Dinner  1>e  ready  for  us  ? "  inquired  Tom 
hungrily. 

"  Well,  as  I  haven't  seen  my  ancestral  walls  for; 


144       FRONTIER   BOYS  IN   THE   SIERRAS 

nigh  on  to  twenty  years,"  replied  Jeems,  "  I'm  mucH 
afeard  that  the  dinner  is  petrified  by  this  time." 

"  We  don't  mind  that,"  laughed  Jo.  "  Haven't 
we  eaten  grub  in  Mexican  restaurants  and  along 
the  border?  Nothing  is  too  tough  for  us." 

"  That's  so/'  agreed  the  chorus. 

"  This  country  begins  to  look  very  familiar," 
soliloquized  Jeems.  "  Here's  a  rock  I've  sat  on 
many  a  time  to  rest  coming  home  from  a  hunt,  and 
down  there  are  the  three  pines  struck  by  lightning, 
on  the  Fourth  of  July,  too " 

"  Go  on  with  you,"  jeered  Tom,  "  don't  give  us 
any  tall  yarn  like  that." 

"  Halt !  there  he  goes ! "  cried  Juarez,  bringing 
his  rifle  to  his  shoulder  and  aiming  it  at  a  fleeting 
shadow  among  the  pines  down  the  mountain  slope. 
He  did  not  fire,  however,  and  without  a  minute's 
hesitation  the  boys  turned  their  horses  down  the 
steep  mountain  slope  towards  the  woods  where  the 
man  had  been  detected  by  Juarez's  observant  eye. 

Away  they  went  full  tilt,  and  to  an  outsider  it 
seemed  certain  that  some  one  was  sure  to  get  his 
neck  broken.  Jo's  horse  did  stumble,  plowing  its 
nose  into  the  gravel,  and  sending  Jo  forward  about 
a  dozen  feet,  landing  on  shoulder  and  neck.  Pretty 
well  shaken  up,  he  was  too,  but  not  injured. 


AN  EXCITING   CHARGE  145 

Tom  came  near  getting  mixed  up  in  the  melee, 
for  he  was  just  back  of  Jo,  but  missed  him  more  by 
good  luck  than  good  management.  There  was  no 
attempt  on  the  part  of  any  of  the  boys  to  stop  to 
pick  up  Jo  or  to  see  how  badly  hurt  he  was.  They 
presumed  that  if  injured  he  would  say  something 
about  it.  So  on  went  the  gallant  400,  their  steeds 
leaping  rocks  and  fallen  trees,  crashing  through 
brush  with  powerful  recklessness. 

A  haze  of  dust  soon  hung  above  the  cavalry 
charge,  which  was  destined  to  come  to  an  end 
when  the  line  of  pine  trees  was  reached.  But  it 
seemed  that  Jim's  Caliente  was  not  going  to  halt 
for  the  solid  pines  even,  for  he  charged  full  speed 
ahead,  with  all  his  fighting  blood  aroused. 

"  Ahoy  there,  Jim !  "  yelled  Tom,  "  better  anchor 
your  yacht." 

But  James  could  not  head  him,  pull  as  hard  as 
he  would,  and  he  ducked  his  head  low  under  a 
branch  which  threatened  to  brain  him,  scraped  be- 
tween two  tall  and  massive  pines,  and  finally 
brought  his  panting  horse  to  a  full  stop  in  a  dense 
clump  of  brush. 

But  Jeems  Howell  seemed  to  be  having  the  most 
interesting,  if  not  the  pleasantest,  time  of  all.  He 
was  not  a  natural  centaur  anyway.  He  had  tried 


146       FRONTIER   BOYS  IN   THE   SIERRAS 

his  best  to  keep  his  little  rat  of  a  bay  from  joining 
in  the  chase,  but  without  success.  With  his  long 
legs  stuck  out  in  front  and  his  eyes  wide  open 
with  astonishment,  he  was  pulling  with  all  his 
might,  but  with  no  effect. 

It  was  a  comical  sight,  the  long-legged  man 
yelling  "Whoa!"  "Whoa!"  and  the  little  pony 
scampering  at  top  speed  down  the  steep  and  sunny 
slope  with  the  dust  flying  back  at  a  great  rate. 
Then  of  a  sudden,  the  pony  leaped  right  from 
under  the  long-shanked  Jeems  and  he  sat  down 
upon  the  warm  gravel,  while  the  animal  went  on 
into  the  woods.  As  for  the  man,  he  made  his 
escape  into  a  neighboring  gulch  where  he  hid  him- 
self under  a  ledge,  and  was  safe  enough. 

That  one  movement  which  he  had  noted  of 
Juarez's  rifle  when  aimed  at  him,  was  sufficient  to 
give  him  an  idea  of  the  mettle  of  the  Frontier  Boys. 
He  was  determined,  however,  not  to  get  out  of  that 
section  until  he  had  seen  these  travelers  properly 
located,  so  he  waited. 

Meanwhile,  the  boys  had  got  together,  in  a  gen- 
eral council  with  only  one  absentee,  viz:  Jeems 
Howell,  who  was  seated  contentedly,  if  somewhat 
dazed,  upon  the  mountain  side.  Then  his  absence 
was  noted  by  the  other  boys. 


AN  EXCITING  CHARGE  147 

"  Where  is  Jeems  ? "  inquired  Jo,  who  had  re- 
covered his  horse  and  his  equilibrium  likewise. 

They  looked  around  anxiously.  "There's  his 
pony  over  there,"  said  Juarez,  "Having  a  good 
time  grazing." 

"  I  suspect  we  will  find  Jeems  grazing  some- 
where back  here  on  the  mountain,"  said  Jim.  "  Jo, 
you  go  look  for  him,  if  you  think  you  won't  fall 
off,  too." 

With  a  grunt  Jo  turned  his  horse  at  right  angles, 
and  went  back  up  the  mountain  slope.  He  soon 
came  upon  Jeems  seated  placidly  upon  the  ground 
apparently  enjoying  the  view. 

"Lost  something,  Jeems?"  he  inquired. 

"Yes,  my  pony,"  he  replied. 

"  He  is  grazing  down  below,"  said  Jo.  "  Why 
don't  you  get  up  ?  " 

"  I'm  grazing  here,"  replied  Jeems. 

"  Gazing,  I  guess,"  grinned  Jo. 

"  Is  it  morning  yet  ?  "  inquired  Jeems. 

"  It  will  be  night  before  you  get  up,  if  you  don't 
hustle,"  warned  Jo.  "  Better  go  and  get  your  horse 
and  join  the  family  council." 

"  There  shall  be  no  vacant  chair,  I'll  be  there," 
and  Jeems  rose  by  sections. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

A  CHASE 

"ARE  you  sure  you  saw  that  fellow,  Juarez?" 
asked  Jo. 

"  Certainly,"  replied  the  chief. 

"  Of  course  he  did,"  said  Jim.  "  You  don't  sup- 
pose that  Juarez  would  exclaim  at  a  shadow.  I  got 
a  glimpse  of  him  myself." 

"  What  did  he  look  like?  "  inquired  Yankee  Tom. 

Jim's  face  took  on  a  look  of  settled  gravity  as  he 
answered : 

"  He  was  a  tall  dark-complected  man,  with  a 
wart  over  his  right  eye,  and  fre  had  a  ring  on 
his  middle  ringer  with  his  wife's  picture  engraved 
on  it,  and " 

"  OH,  shut  up,"  growled  Tom,  "  you  are  just  kid- 
ding." 

"I  didn't  see  anybody,"  put  in  Jeems  Howell 
mildly.  This  remark  was  greeted  with  a  roar  of 
laughter. 

"  I  bet  you  didn't,"  jeered  Tom.    "  All  you  could 
ldo  was  to  yell 'Whoa!'" 
148 


A   CHASE  149 

"But  he  didn't  whoa!"  said  Jeems  sadly,  but 
truthfully. 

"  You  did,"  remarked  Jim. 

"  Somebody  had  to,"  explained  Jeems,  "  so  I  de- 
cided it  was  up  to  me." 

"  You  mean,"  said  the  whimsical  Jo,  "  down  to 
you." 

"  I  suppose  so." 

"  He  has  made  his  escape  anyway,"  said  Tom. 

"  So  have  our  pack  mules,"  cried  Juarez,  looking 
back  up  the  mountain. 

"  Maybe  they  have  just  grazed  off,"  said  Jim 
anxiously. 

This  was  serious  business  indeed,  if  their  mules 
should  take  a  notion  to  take  the  back  trail  with 
their  grub  and  camp  equipment.  So  the  boys  lost 
no  time  in  getting  back  to  the  ridge  and  all  thought 
of  the  stranger  that  they  had  tried  to  interview 
had  left  their  minds  for  the  present.  When  they 
got  to  the  top  of  the  ridge  they  found  their  worst 
fears  realized.  Juarez  was  the  first  to  take  in  the 
situation,  because  his  little  roan  was  the  fastest  in 
a  short  dash.  Juarez  had  urged  his  horse  obliquely 
across  the  slope  of  the  hill. 

"  They  have  scooted  for  home,  boys,"  he  yelled. 

Sure  enough  there  were  the  three  beasts  a  mile 


150       FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE  SIERRAS 

down  the  trail  and  jogging  steadily  along  with  an 
evident  intention  in  their  mulish  minds  to  go  home 
and  stay  there.  Now  "  home  "  was  a  hundred  miles 
away,  but  that  made  no  difference  with  their  plans. 

"  We  have  got  to  head  'em  down  this  other  side," 
cried  Jim.  "  It's  no  use  following  them  on  the  trail. 
They  have  got  the  start  on  us  and  when  they  see 
us  coming  it  will  make  them  hike  all  the  faster." 

"  You're  right,"  said  Juarez. 

"  There  is  no  use  for  all  this  bunch  going,"  said 
Jim.  "  Jo,  you  and  Tom  and  Jeems  stay  here.  Keep 
my  guns,  I'm  traveling  light."  He  handed  over  his 
rifle  and  revolver  to  his  brother  and  Juarez  gave 
his  to  Jeems.  Then  they  gave  the  cinches  to  their 
saddles  an  extra  tightening,  especially  the  back 
cinches,  then  they  swung  swiftly  into  the  saddles. 

"  Durn  those  mules,"  they  cried  and  were  off. 
Keeping  their  horses  well  in  hand,  for  it  promised 
to  be  a  long  hard  race,  they  galloped  along  the 
ridge,  keeping  slightly  below  the  summit.  They 
were  now  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  ridge  from 
where  the  trail  was  up  which  they  had  traveled. 
As  the  two  headers-off  got  under  way  the  gravel 
flew  back  from  their  horses'  feet.  At  first  the  way 
was  not  very  hard,  but  at  the  end  of  the  first  mile 
they  came  to  a  great  field  of  broken  rocks. 


A   CHASE  151 

Here  they  had  to  slacken  speed  and  find  their 
way  among  great  rocks,  broken,  and  with  many 
miniature  canyons  and  ravines  among  them.  Once 
they  rode  under  the  shadow  of  a  great  slat)  of 
quartz,  some  eighty  feet  long  and  twenty  feet  in 
thickness ;  like  a  long  flat  bridge  it  was. 

"  This  is  a  sure  interesting  country,"  remarked 
Juarez. 

"  I  wish  that  we  had  time  to  look  around  a  bit," 
replied  Jim,  "  but  I  am  afraid  that  those  pesky 
mules  are  gaining  on  us  right  here." 

"  We  are  almost  out  of  this  nest  of  rocks,"  en- 
couraged Juarez. 

This  was  true,  but  now  they  had  ahead  of  them 
a  long  slope  with  many  fallen  trees,  but  the  boys 
could  not  stop  for  such  trifles.  Away  they  went, 
leaping  the  trunks  of  trees,  twisting  this  way  and 
that,  but  never  slackening  speed.  If  it  was  not 
for  their  anxiety,  it  would  have  been  fun  for  the 
two  of  them,  as  there  was  enough  danger  and 
variety  to  make  it  interesting.  Jim's  big  gray, 
which  he  had  captured  in  Mexico  and  had  named 
Caliente,  jumped  with  great  power  and  with  re- 
markable lightness,  considering  his  size,  but 
Juarez's  roan  was  as  quick  'as  a  cat  and  just  as 
light  on  its  feet. 


152       FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE   SIERRAS 

"  See  that  notch  in  the  ridge,"  cried  Jim,  "  about 
half  a  mile  ahead?" 

"  Yes,"  replied  Juarez. 

"  There's  where  we  will  cross  and  try  to  get 
ahead  of  those  bucks." 

"  We  will  make  them  hustle  back,"  cried  Juarez, 
grinding  his  teeth. 

"  Sure,"  agreed  Jim  with  a  grin. 

In  a  short  time  they  had  reached  the  notch  and 
found  it  to  be  something  more  than  that,  as  it  was 
quite  a  deep  cut  in  the  back  of  the  ridge,  and  con- 
tinued into  a  narrow  ravine,  which  was  quite  heav- 
ily wooded,  and  down  which  ran  a  pretty  little 
stream  of  the  clearest  crystal, 

"  We  ought  to  see  those  mules  soon  now,"  said 
Juarez. 

"  There's  the  trail,"  said  Jim,  "  just  a  bit  of  it 
high  up." 

"  I  see  it,"  replied  Juarez. 

"We  will  cut  it  soon  now,"  remarked  Jim, 
"  then  we  will  head  those  Missouri  runaways." 

But  before  they  did  that,  a  lively  dash  was  before 
them,  for  suddenly  they  came  in  full  view  of  the 
upper  trail  for  a  mile  or  more. 

"There  are  those  rascals,"  cried  Juarez,  pointing 
with  an  excited  hand. 


A   CHASE  153 

"  I  see  them,"  said  Jim. 

"  Brethren,"  remarked  the  mule  in  the  lead,  to 
his  long-eared  comrades,  "here  come  our  masters 
to  head  us  off.  Let  us  run."  He  wig-wagged  this 
piece  of  news  with  his  long  ears  and  a  waggle  of 
his  short  tail.  They  understood  perfectly  and  acted 
in  unison.  They  did  not  trot,  but  started  at  a 
swift,  sharp  lope  down  the  trail.  It  was  fortunate 
for  the  packs  that  the  boys  were  old  mountaineers 
and  knew  how  to  make  them  secure  else  they  would 
have  been  jostled  into  the  ravine  below. 

The  boys  cut  loose  at  full  gallop  down  the  ravine, 
utterly  reckless  of  what  might  be  ahead  of  them. 
They  tore  through  the  brush,  crushing  down  every 
obstacle  in  their  way,  determined  to  head  those 
mules  or  die  in  the  attempt.  They  were  mad 
through  and  through,  and,  for  one,  I  can  sym- 
pathize with  them.  They  won  the  race  by  about 
twenty  feet.  Caliente  with  one  last  leap  was  in 
the  trail. 

The  mules  saw  that  they  were  intercepted  and 
came  to  a  halt,  and  looked  at  Jim  and  Juarez  with 
quiet  unconcern,  mingled  with  a  slight  surprise  at 
being  so  rudely  interrupted  in  their  little  jaunt. 

"  You  blasted,  long-eared,  rat-tailed  beggars,  get 
back  where  you  belong,"  yelled  Jim ;  "  you  hustle." 


154       FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE   SIERRAS 

"  Give  me  a  rock,  I'll  help  'em,"  cried  Juarez. 

He  reached  from  the  saddle  and  picked  up  a 
number  of  fragments  of  broken  granite,  and  Jim 
did  the  same.  Then  they  began  to  pepper  those 
mules  with  carefully  aimed  stones,  sometimes  strik- 
ing their  haunches  and  sometimes  their  ears,  keep- 
ing them  at  a  steady  jog  trot  up  the  grade. 

"  Take  that,  Missouri !  "  Jim  would  cry,  flipping  a 
stone  at  the  leader. 

"  Here's  one  for  you,  Pike  County ! "  laughed 
Juarez,  aiming  at  the  second  target. 

So  they  kept  it  up,  thus  getting  even  for  all  the 
trouble  the  runaways  had  made  them,  which  was 
considerable.  After  a  while  they  reached  the  top 
of  the  ridge,  expecting  to  find  Jo,  Tom  and  Jeems 
waiting  for  them.  But  there  was  no  sign  of  them 
anywhere. 

"  What  do  you  suppose  has  become  of  them  ?  " 
inquired  Juarez. 

"  Maybe  that  mysterious  stranger  has  stolen 
them,"  suggested  Jim. 

"Let's  see  if  we  cannot  find  their  tracks,"  said 
Juarez.  This  was  done  without  difficulty. 

"  Here's  a  track  that  looks  like  a  gorilla's,"  re- 
marked Jim,  inspecting  the  dust  of  the  trail. 

"  Must  be  Jeems',"  grinned  Juarez. 


A   CHASE  155 

"TKese  other  tootsie  tracks  are  Tommy's  and 
Jo's,  I  reckon,"  said  Jim. 

"  But  why  did  they  walk  instead  of  ride?  "  in- 
quired Juarez. 

"  They  didn't  intend  to  go  far  and  thought  it 
just  as  easy  to  walk,"  explained  Jim. 

Just  then  there  came  a  faint  halloo  that  caused 
the  boys  to  look  up. 

"  There's  Jeems,  the  beanstalk,"  cried  Jim. 

"Where?"  asked  Juarez. 

"  See  that  shadow  standing  on  that  rock  way 
over  yonder?"  inquired  Jim. 

"  Yes." 

"  That's  him." 

"  What  do  you  suppose  that  they  are  doing  over 
there  ?  "  asked  Juarez. 

"  We  won't  be  long  in  finding  out,"  replied  Jim. 

"  There's  Jeems'  castle,"  said  Juarez,  after  they 
had  ridden  a  few  hundred  yards,  pointing  to  a 
speck  high  up  on  the  mountain  side. 

Juarez  was  right,  for  Jeems  and  the  other  boys 
soon  met  them  with  the  news  that  they  had  located 
the  cabin  where  they  hoped  to  find  the  plan  that 
would  give  them  a  clue  to  the  location  of  the  Lost 
Mine. 

"  Have  a  hard  chase  after  the  mules,  Jim  ?  "  in- 


156       FRONTIER   BOYS  IN    THE   SIERRAS 

quired  Jo  as  they  climbed  up  a  steep  slope 
towards  the  cabin. 

"  You  ought  to  have  been  along,"  remarked  Jim 
significantly. 

"  I  hope  Juarez  don't  let  'em  get  away  this  time," 
said  Tom. 

"  If  you  must  worry,  why  don't  you  take  some- 
thing probable/'  remarked  Jim  severely.  "  Like 
Jeems  running  off  to  become  a  circus  rider." 

"  You  would  have  thought  that  he  was  a  circus 
rider  sure  enough,"  laughed  Jo,  "  if  you  could 
have  seen  him  riding  down  that  slope  this  morning, 
with  his  feet  stuck  straight  out  in  front  of  him, 
and  yelling  whoa  to  l  Mosquito/  " 

"  I  thought,"  said  Jeems  sadly,  "  that  if  I  held 
my  feet  that  way  that  they  would  offer  enough 
resistance  to  the  air  to  stop  or  slow  up  Mosquito, — 
but  they  didn't." 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

THE  DIAGRAM 

"  WHAT'S  the  use  of  being  a  philosopher  and  a 
thinker,  Jeetns,"  inquired  Jim,  after  the  roar  of 
laughter  had  spent  itself  at  his  ludicrous  remark, 
"  if  you  can't  invent  some  way  to  stop  a  mite  of  a 
pony  like  Mosquito  ?  " 

"  There  isn't  any  use  trying  to  be  a  philosopher/' 
said  Jeems  frankly,  "  when  you  are  traveling  with 
such  a  hair-brained  gang  as  you  fellows.  A  phi- 
losopher has  to  have  time  to  think,  and  things  keep 
happening  so  fast  in  your  company,  that  you  don't 
get  time  to  breathe.  If  it  isn't  the  mules  running 
away  it  is  Mosquito,  and  so  it  goes." 

"  Cheer  up,  Jeems,"  said  Jo.  "  Just  wait  un- 
til we  begin  to  cruise  around  the  world  on  our 
yacht,  then  you  will  get  lots  of  time  to  philoso- 
phize." 

"Don't  believe  it,"  replied  Jeems  skeptically. 
"  If  it  isn't  pirates  it  will  be  sharks,  and  if  it  isn't 
them  it  will  be  octopuses." 

"  In  your  case  it  is  more  likely  to  be  the  mat  de 

157; 


158       FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE  SIER&AS 

mer"  put  in  Jim  with  his  easy  command  of  French. 
I  believe  he  had  one  other  phrase  that  on  occasion 
he  could  use. 

"  I  suppose  that  they  say  de  mer  because  they 
feel  like  demurring,"  said  Jo  glibly. 

"  Sacre  bleu,  Jo ! "  cried  Jim,  using  his  other 
phrase.  "  Don't  be  so  smart." 

"  Can't  help  it,"  replied  Jo. 

"  There  will  be  a  sudden  and  mysterious  disap- 
pearance if  you  don't,"  said  Jim  darkly.  By  this 
time  they  had  climbed  into  clear  view  of  Jeems' 
cabin. 

"  Somebody  has  thrown  a  rock  at  your  castle 
and  caved  the  roof  in,  Jeems,"  declared  Tom. 

"  Lucky  I  wasn't  home,"  replied  Jeems  philo- 
sophically. 

"  It  does  look  like  an  ancient  ruin,"  said  Jim,  as 
they  finally  reached  the  little  shelf  on  which  the 
cabin  was  built. 

The  passing  years  had  evidently  done  their 
worst,  a  large  boulder  had  come  down  from  the 
mountain  above  and  crashed  the  roof  in.  The 
rudely  built  chimney  had  been  partially  destroyed, 
and  rats  and  squirrels  were  making  themselves  at 
home.  Jeems  stood  looking  sadly  at  his  former 
cabin,  for  Jeems  had  a  strain  of  sentiment  in  him 


THE  DIAGRAM  J59 

and  he  had  spent  three  interesting  and  quite  happy 
years  at  this  spot. 

"  It's  kind  of  like  Rip  Van  Winkle  returning 
home  after  his  long  absence,  isn't  it?"  inquired  Jo. 

"  Only  I  don't  see  my  faithful  dog,"  replied  the 
shepherd,  waking  from  his  reverie. 

"  You  must  have  built  here  for  the  view,  Jeems," 
remarked  Jim. 

"  I  used  to  sit  out  here  on  the  shelf  many  a  sum- 
mer evening,"  said  Jeems,  "  and  look  off  towards 
the  east  till  it  got  dark.  I  suspect  that's  what 
helped  to  make  me  kind  of  dreamy ;  those  years." 

"  Shouldn't  wonder/'  said  Jim. 

It  was  a  wonderful  view,  and  it  held  the  boys 
for  a  minute,  accustomed  though  they  were  to 
unusual  scenes.  There  was  a  vastness  and  freedom 
about  it  that  would  be  hard  to  equal.  Range  after 
range  extended  to  the  eastward,  pine-clad,  with 
deep  valleys  intervening;  to  the  south  some  great 
rocky  summits,  blue,  impalpable,  mysterious,  upon 
the  verge  of  the  horizon.  Far  below  over  a  granite 
chasm  wheeled  an  eagle  on  darkening  wings.  The 
wonderfully  clear  air  was  full  of  the  murmur  of 
the  pines;  the  tone  that  sings  of  the  days  of 
primeval  mystery.  Far  down  below  the  boys  could 
see  Juarez  with  the  horses  and  mules. 


160       FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE   SIERRAS 

"  Hello,  Juarez,"  cried  Jim.  Then  in  a  few  sec- 
onds came  the  answering  call,  clear  and  distinct. 

"  It's  wonderful  how  far  you  can  hear,  in  this 
country,"  said  Jo. 

"  What  are  you  fellows  stopping  so  long  to  ad- 
mire, scenery?  "  inquired  Tom.  "  You  would  think 
that  you  never  saw  any  before.  Why  don't  you 
investigate  the  ruins  and  see  if  you  can't  find  that 
plan  of  the  '  Lost  Mine.' " 

"  Don't  get  excited,  Tommy,"  urged  Jim. 
"Maybe  you  won't  be  elected  President  of  'The 
Lost  Mine  Co.'  anyway." 

"  I'd  rather  be  Treasurer  anyhow,"  replied  the 
practical  Tom. 

"  You'll  be  the  janitor  of  the  company,"  said  Jim 
severely,  "  because  you  have  had  so  much  experi- 
ence shoveling  coal  on  the  Sea  Eagle." 

Tom's  face  flushed,  and  there  was  an  early  prom- 
ise of  a  mixing  up,  when  Jeems  intervened. 

"  Come,  boys,  never  mind  about  fixing  up  your 
company,  I'll  show  you  where  I  hid  that  plan  about 
twenty  years  ago." 

"  It  won't  be  any  good  now,  after  all  that  in- 
terval," declared  the  pessimistic  Tom. 

In  spite  of  Tom's  prophecy  the  boys  went  heartily 
to  work  to  clear  away  the  debris  so  they  could  get 


THE   DIAGRAM  161 

at  the  particular  stone  behind  which  Jeems  had 
hidden  the  document. 

"  What  shape  was  it  ?  "  inquired  Jim. 

"  Something  like  this/'  replied  Jeems,  kicking  a 
stone  near  his  foot. 

"  Maybe  that's  it,"  said  Tom. 

"  No,  it  isn't.  That  stone  was  some  narrower 
than  this."  After  a  half  hour's  industrious  work 
they  finally  uncovered  it,  and  very  carefully  lifted 
it  out  of  its  place.  They  leaned  eagerly  forward 
while  Jim  swept  his  hand  around  trying  to  lo- 
cate it 

"  Hold  a  light  so,"  he  ordered. 

"  Aye,  aye,  sir,"  replied  Jo.  Then  under  the 
quick  flare  of  a  match,  Jim  eagerly  gripped  a  piece 
of  yellowed  cardboard. 

"  This  is  her  picture,  boys ! "  he  cried,  with  much 
sentiment. 

"  Let's  see  the  other  side,"  said  Tom. 

"  It's  going  to  be  difficult  to  make  this  out,"  re- 
marked Jim,  after  close  scrutiny.  He  sat  down 
upon  a  rock  and  began  studying  it,  with  the  other 
boys  looking  over  his  shoulder. 

"  That  crooked  line  must  mean  a  creek,"  said  Jo. 

"  I  think  it  represents  the  top  of  a  ridge,"  re- 
marked Tom. 


162       FRONTIER  BOYS  JN   THE   SIERRAS 

"  This  other  work  of  art  below  the  ridge-creek 
appears  to  me  to  be  a  pine  tree  with  a  cross  on  one 
side  of  it." 

"  You  are  right,  Skipper,"  said  Jeems.  "  I  got 
as  far  as  that  tree,  but  that  was  my  limit.  I 
could  not  make  any  headway  beyond  that." 

"  It  looks  to  me  as  if  that  design  further  down 
were  a  pathway  with  a  mill  of  some  kind  on  one 
side  and  a  cabin  a  little  further  down." 

"  Good  head,  Tommy,"  said  Jim  patronizingly. 
"  But  what  are  those  stars  near  the  end  of  the 
line?" 

"They  represent  a  snow  storm,  I  guess,"  said 

Jo. 

"  Oh,  they  do !  "  said  Jim.  "  I  suppose  that  is  a 
hint  it  will  be  winter  before  we  find  anything. 
But  what  do  these  numbers  below  the  stars  mean? 

400 (-  1500  —  30.  Is  that  yards,  feet,  dollars, 

or  doughnuts?" 

"Isn't  that  a  cross  marked  before  the  1500?" 
asked  Tom  the  lynx-eyed. 

"  I  guess  you  are  right,"  said  Jim,  "  but  I  don't 
see  as  it  helps  any." 

"  We  might  as  well  adjourn,"  remarked  Jo,  "  we 
have  got  our  plan,  and  we  can  spend  some  time 
studying  it  out.  We  have  had  plenty  of  exercise 


THE   DIAGRAM  163 

for  one  day  and  we  can  take  our  time  to  make  a 
good  camp." 

"All  right,"  agreed  Jim.  "To-morrow  it's  all 
hands  to  try  to  locate  the  Lost  Mine." 

It  was  clear  sailing  now  for  a  ways,  at  least  so 
it  seemed,  but  things  are  rarely  what  they  seem, 
and  there  was  a  certain  party  of  men  not  many 
miles  distant  whose  business  in  that  part  of  the 
country  was  to  locate  the  Frontier  Boys,  but  of  this 
they  only  had  a  dim  suspicion  from  the  sight  of  the 
man  of  whom  Juarez  had  caught  a  fleeting  glimpse. 

It  did  not  take  the  boys  long  to  cover  the  ground 
between  the  cabin  and  the  place  where  they  had 
left  Juarez  with  the  horses  and  mules.  It  was  a 
little  over  half  a  mile  from  the  shelf  where  the 
cabin  stood  to  the  group  of  pines  where  Juarez  was. 
.The  upper  half  of  the  slope  was  covered  with  tall 
tufted  grass  and  scattered  rocks.  The  lower  part 
was  a  long  slide  of  sand. 

"  I'll  beat  you  tenderfeet  down,"  vaunted  Jim. 

"  Let's  get  an  even  start  and  I'll  show  you,"  said 
Jo,  who  was  in  truth  a  fleet  runner.  "Jeems  will 
give  us  the  send-off,  as  he  is  the  only  one  who  has 
his  revolver  with  him." 

So  they  lined  up  on  the  level  place  in  front  of 
the  cabin,  while  Juarez,  who  felt  that  there  was 


164       FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE   SIERRAS 

something  in  the  wind,  came  out  into  the  open  and 
watched  the  proceedings  with  interest.  He  saw 
that  a  race  was  about  to  take  place  and  he  stood 
prepared  to  catch  the  winner. 

"Are  you  ready?"  inquired  Jeems  in  a  shrill 
voice,  and  the  three  admitted  that  they  were;  then 
he  extended  his  pistol  over  his  head  and  fired. 
There  was  a  sharp  report,  and  away  the  boys  leaped 
as  though  they,  too,  had  been  shot  out  of  a  gun. 
Down  the  steep  slope  they  went  over  the  tufted 
grass  and  rocks  like  bounding  jack-rabbits.  Jin} 
was  ten  feet  in  the  lead,  then  Jo,  and  Tom  five 
feet  behind  him. 

My,  but  it  was  fun!  I  would  give  a  good  deal 
to  be  in  that  race.  How  the  boys  did  jump!  Jim 
with  his  long  legs  and  stride  seemed  to  have  the 
advantage  at  first,  but  when  they  struck  the  long 
sand  slide  Jo  began  to  pull  up  on  his  brother. 
Even  the  scout  who  was  watching  the  race  from  a 
distant  tree  became  so  interested  that  he  lost  his 
caution  for  a  moment  and  came  into  view. 

"  I  bet  the  little  varmint  beats  the  lanky  guy," 
he  said  to  himself. 

It  seemed  so,  for  half  way  down  the  slide  the 
"little  varmint"  had  crawled  up  even  with  Jim. 
They  were  going  so  fast  that  you  could  not  see 


THE  DIAGRAM  165 

them  for  the  haze,  and  the  gravel  and  sand  flew 
from  before  their  feet  like  spray  and  they  leaped 
fifteen  to  twenty  feet  at  a  stride.  I  tell  you  it  was 
exciting  work.  Jo  drew  ahead  and  beat  Jim  about 
three  feet,  it  was  that  close,  and  Tom  "  came  tum- 
bling after." 

"  I  get  the  prize,"  cried  Jo,  as  soon  as  he  could 
get  his  breath. 

"  It's  a  silver  water  pitcher,"  said  Juarez,  giving 
him  a  big  tin  cup. 

"  Look  out,  here  comes  Jeems  on  the  warpath," 
cried  Jim. 

They  looked  up  and  sure  enough  there  he  came 
full  tilt,  his  long  hair  streaming  in  the  breeze  and 
his  lanky  legs  reaching  out  like  they  were  en- 
dowed with  the  wonderful  seven-league  boots. 
Here  was  fun. 

"  He's  drunk !  "  cried  Juarez. 

"  He  is  running  away !  "  yelled  Jim. 

"  Whoa,  Mosquito,  whoa !  "  screamed  Jo  and  Tom 
in  unison. 

The  scout  who  was  roosting  in  the  tree  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  below,  became  so  enthused  at  the 
sight  of  the  lanky  vision  striding  down  the  moun- 
tainside that  he  became  convulsed  with  laughter. 
Just  then  Jeems,  who  was  half  way  down  the  sand 


166       FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE  SIERRAS 

slide,  accompanied  by  the  wild  yells  of  the  boys  who 
were  watching  him,  struck,  in  one  of  his  flying 
steps,  a  partially  submerged  rock. 

The  effect  was  instantaneous  and  surprising,  such 
,was  his  momentum  that  he  bounced  high  into  the 
air  and  sprawled  out  like  a  gigantic  flying  squirrel 
for  thirty  feet  or  more  before  he  came  to  earth,  or 
rather  dove  to  sand,  and  was  lost  in  a  cloud  of 
dust.  The  boys  rushed  to  pick  up  the  remains. 


"  LOOK  OUT,  HERE  COMES  JEEMS  ON  THE  WARPATH  "—P.  165       Frontier 
Boys  in  Sierras. 


'CHAPTER  XIX 

THE  CAMP  IN  THE  VALLEY 

THE  dust  settled  and  they  were  able  to  see  Jeems 
in  all  his  outlines.  He  seemed  unhurt  and  in  the 
possession  of  all  his  faculties,  for  he  began  to  spout 
poetry  to  the  boys  after  this  wise: 

"  From  morn  till  noon  he  fell,  from  noon 
Till  dewy  eve  then  like  a  falling  star 
Dropt  from  the  zenith." 

"  Hurrah  for  Lucifer ! "  cried  Jo,  who  knew 
something  about  literature.  Jeems  bowed. 

"  What  did  you  think  you  were,  a  flying 
squirrel  ?  "  inquired  Tom. 

"  I  didn't  think,  I  just  flew,"  said  Jeems,  which 
was  true. 

This  incident  likewise  came  near  getting  their 
enemy  who  was  in  hiding,  for  when  he  saw  Jeems 
Howell  perform  his  startling  evolution  in  the  air,  he 
laughed  so  hard  that  he  lost  his  balance  and  came 
crashing  through  the  branches  to  the  ground  below 
and  he  lay  there  rolling  over  and  over,  not  in  the 
167 


i68       FRONTIER   BOYS  IN    THE   SIERRAS 

agony  of  a  broken  leg,  but  with  uncontrollable 
laughter.  As  he  told  his  pals  later,  "  I  never  seen 
the  likes  of  that  performance.  It  was  head  and 
heels  over  any  circus  that  '  Green  Ike  '  ever  saw 
back  in  ole  Missoury.  (Green  Ike  so-called,  not  on 
account  of  the  color  of  his  skin,  but  .of  his  eyes.) 
That  fellar  must  have  struck  a  spring  board  the 
way  he  went  through  the  air." 

After  the  excitement  had  quieted  down  over 
Jeems  Howell's  flight  through  space,  the  boys  took 
up  the  next  order  of  the  day,  which  was  "  forward 
march  to  their  camping  place  for  the  night."  It 
was  now  well  along  in  the  afternoon  and  the 
shadows  were  extending  far  down  the  slopes  and 
across  the  valleys. 

"  We  must  get  to  a  place  where  there  is  good 
water,"  said  Juarez,  as  they  started  on  their  way. 

"  I  wish  we  could  find  some  grazing  for  the 
horses,"  mused  Jim. 

"  It's  a  long  pull  into  that  valley  down  there/'  re- 
marked Jo,  "  but  I  guess  we  can  make  it." 

"  I  don't  see  why  not,"  said  Tom.  "  Our  horses 
have  had  a  long  rest  and  ought  to  make  fine  time/' 

They  did  succeed  in  finding  an  excellent  camping 
place  after  riding  down  the  mountain  slopes  for 
about  five  miles.  They  came  into  quite  a  broad 


THE   CAMP   IN  THE   VALLEY  169 

valley  with  a  beautiful  stream  of  clear  tumbling 
water  flowing  through  the  midst  of  it,  and  green 
meadows  on  either  side. 

"  I  bet  that's  a  fine  trout  stream,"  exclaimed 
Tom  enthusiastically. 

"  This  is  one  of  the  best  places  that  we  ever  had 
to  camp  in,"  cried  Jo.  "  The  only  place  I  can  re- 
member that  beat  it  was  in  Mexico  near  the  trem- 
bling mountain  where  we  were  all  shut  in." 

"  Here's  the  place  for  a  camp,"  announced  Jim. 
"  This  hill  is  away  from  the  mountain  slope  far 
enough  so  that  no  enemy  can  crawl  down  under 
the  protection  of  the  trees.  Then  it  can  be  de- 
fended, if  riecessary.  For  some  reason,  I  would 
not  like  to  camp  out  on  that  level  meadow  to- 
night." 

"You  don't  expect  trouble  with  Indians,  do 
you  ?  "  inquired  Tom  anxiously. 

"  No,"  replied  Jim,  "  but  there  are  other  bad 
men  besides  Indians." 

"You  are  right,  Skipper,"  said  the  shepherd, 
"  we  are  liable  to  find  the  worst  kind  of  cutthroats 
and  ruffians  in  this  part  of  the  country." 

"  I  guess  we  will  be  able  to  stand  'em  off,"  said 
Jim,  "without  calling  in  the  police." 

Then  James  swung  himself  off  his  horse  at  the 


i;o       FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE   SIERRAS 

foot  of  the  long  hill ;  Tom  and  Jo  rather  stiffly,  for 
they  were  not  yet  used  to  active  mountaineering 
after  so  much  sea  travel,  while  Jeems  Howell 
stepped  off  his  little  bay  pony.  Now  ensued  a  scene 
of  much  activity  making  camp.  Each  one  had  his 
work  to  do  and  it  was  done  promptly. 

Juarez  and  Jim  looked  after  the  horses;  rubbed 
them  down,  looked  carefully  after  any  strain  or 
sore,  and  it  was  work  that  they  loved  to  do.  When 
the  horses  were  sufficiently  rested  they  were 
watered  and  fed,  and  from  their  splendid  condition 
it  was  evident  that  they  were  well  cared  for.  Cali- 
ente,  Jim's  charger,  was  in  extra  fine  shape.  His 
coat  of  mottled  iron-gray  fairly  shone  under  Jim's 
brushing.  When  he  had  time  he  polished  his  hoofs. 
There  was  a  real  affection  between  the  horse  and 
his  master.  On  more  than  one  occasion  his 
strength  and  fleetness  had  saved  Jim's  life.  No 
one  else  was  equal  to  controlling  him. 

Jeems'  and  Tom's  work  was  to  look  after  the 
mules,  take  off  their  packs  and  feed  and  water 
the  animals.  Jeems  seemed  to  get  along  with  the 
mules  all  right,  much  better  than  he  did  with  the 
horses.  Perhaps  the  mules  were  philosophers.  At 
least  they  were  very  wise  animals,  canny  and  self- 
controlled.  No  mule  you  notice  will  overeat  even 


THE  CAMP   IN  THE   VALLEY  171 

•wtien  he  has  a  chance,  but  with  a  horse  it  is  differ- 
ent. 

Jo's  duties  were  very  active  ones.  He  had  to 
move  the  goods,  saddles,  etc.,  into  camp,  and  then 
get  the  wood  for  the  fire.  By  this  time  one  of  the 
other  boys  would  be  free  to  help  rig  up  the  tent  and 
another  would  fetch  water.  It  was  a  lively,  in- 
teresting scene  and  the  boys  enjoyed  it  thoroughly. 

Within  an  hour  the  work  was  all  done,  and  the 
horses  were  grazing,  with  evident  enjoyment  of  the 
freedom  of  roaming  around  over  the  wide  meadow 
with  its  growth  of  luxuriant  grass,  this  after  the 
hard  day's  pull.  The  boys  had  built  a  roaring  fire 
of  logs  fed  by  long  pine  cones,  for  the  nights  were 
cold  at  that  altitude. 

"  This  would  make  a  pretty  fair  sort  of  a  fort," 
said  Juarez,  "  if  we  had  to  defend  it." 

"  Not  as  good  as  the  one  Jim  and  I  had  when  the 
Apaches  attacked  us  in  New  Mexico,  when  we  were 
separated  from  Tom  and  the  Captain,"  remarked 
Jo  wisely. 

"  That  was  a  natural  fort,"  put  in  Jim,  "  but  as 
Juarez  says,  we  could  stand  off  a  crowd  here,  if 
we  had  a  chance  to  fix  it  up  a  bit." 

"  It's  lucky  that  it  stands  clear  of  the  mountain 
on  this  side,  so  that  an  enemy  could  not  attack  us 


172       FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE  SIERRAS 

from  shelter,"  remarked  Juarez.  "It  must  He 
nearly  three-quarters  of  a  mile  to  the  foot  of  the 
mountain  on  this  side  of  the  valley;  perhaps  fur- 
ther." 

"  This  hill  must  be  all  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
feet  high,"  said  Tom.  "I  should  like  to  see  a 
crowd  of  Indians  charge  it." 

"  You  wouldn't,"  put  in  Juarez.  "  They  never 
do  a  trick  like  that,  but  would  hang  around  until  we 
were  starved  out." 

"  I  tell  you,  lads,  it  won't  be  the  Indians  who 
will  give  us  trouble,"  remarked  Jeems  Howell, 
"but  a  gang  of  renegade  white  men  and  half- 
breeds.  That's  the  crowd  that  will  be  on  our  trail." 

"  I  have  a  sort  of  feeling  that  there  is  a  lion  in 
our  path,"  quoth  James.  "We  will  never  get  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  '  Lost  Mine '  without  a  fight. 
You  mark  my  words.  The  sooner  it  comes  the 
better." 

"  I  guess  we  had  better  get  the  horses  corraled, 
hadn't  we,  Skipper?"  inquired  Juarez.  "It's  be- 
ginning to  get  dark." 

"  Right  you  are,"  agreed  Jim.  "  They  have  had 
a  two-hour  graze.  We  will  take  them  down  to 
water  and  then  bring  them  into  camp.  Jo,  you 
stay  here  and  guard  the  goods." 


THE  CAMP   IN   THE   VALLEY  173 

"Aye,  aye,  sir/*  said  Jo. 

It  was  already  growing  dusk  when  the  boys 
started  across  the  level  meadow  to  get  the  animals. 
They  had  no  difficulty  in  picking  up  the  trailing 
lariats.  Only  the  mules  acted  rather  queer.  Their 
long  ears  were  pitched  forward  and  they  were  gaz- 
ing fixedly  in  the  direction  of  the  mountain  back  of 
the  camp.  Then  Missouri,  the  leader,  a  big  buck- 
skin with  a  brown  stripe  down  his  back,  suddenly 
put  his  ears  back  and  began  to  squeal  loud  and 
viciously. 

"What's  the  matter  with  old  Missouri ?"  in- 
quired Jeems  anxiously.  "  You  don't  suppose  that 
the  grass  has  given  him  a  pain  in  his  tummy  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  Jim,  "  the  old  chap  scents  trouble  of 
some  kind." 

"  Maybe  it's  a  mountain  lion,"  suggested  Tom, 
"  that  would  make  him  act  up." 
"  Maybe,"  admitted  Jim. 

Now  they  had  arrived  at  the  stream  that  was 
roaring  through  the  meadow.  It  was  no  brook 
either,  but  a  brawling  stream  about  forty  feet  in 
width,  very  clear  and  wonderfully  cold,  as  it  came 
from  the  snow-clad  summits  to  the  northwest. 
There  were  a  good  many  large  boulders  that 
checked  its  course  and  made  a  roaring  music  in 


174       FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE  SIERRAS 

the  quiet  of  the  valley.  It  was  a  full  half  mile 
from  the  hill  where  the  camp  was. 

"  This  would  be  a  fine  stream  for  trout,"  re- 
marked Tom.  "  I  wish  we  were  going  to  stop  in 
this  valley  long  enough  to  give  us  a  chance  for 
some  sport,  but  I  suppose  we  will  get  up  about  four 
o'clock  in  the  morning  and  chase  over  the  moun- 
tains all  day  and  then  make  a  dry  camp  where  our 
animals  will  be  stampeded  by  the  Indians." 

"  You  certainly  are  a  croaker,  Tommy,"  laughed 
Jim  heartily,  for  Tom's  pessimistic  prophecies 
never  failed  to  amuse  his  big  brother,  ""  but  cheer 
up,  I  have  about  decided  to  stop  here  in  the  valley 
for  a  day  or  two  and  give  the  children  a  good 
time." 

"  It  won't  be  a  bad  idea,  Skipper,"  remarked 
Juarez,  "  because  it  will  give  the  horses  a  good 
rest  and  they  have  had  a  long,  hard  pull  of  it  the 
past  ten  days,  and  will  put  them  in  good  condition 
for  the  rest  of  the  trip;  perhaps,  too,  we  oan  get 
a  deer  or  two  around  here." 

"  There  formerly  was  and  ought  now  to  be  deer 
in  this  valley  or  near  it,"  put  in  Jeems.  "  This  is 
just  the  kind  of  place  for  them  to  come  for  grazing 
and  pasture." 

"  It  will  help  fill  out  our  larder,  too,"  said  Tom. 


THE  CAMP   IN   THE   VALLEY  175 

"  You  mean  our  stomachs,"  said  Jeems  whimsic- 
ally, after  his  fashion. 

"  I  would  like  a  mess  of  trout,"  remarked  Tom. 
"  I'm  tired  of  salt  horse." 

"  What's  the  matter  with  Missouri?"  said  Jeems, 
"  he  won't  drink." 

"You  can't  make  him  then,"  said  Jim.  "A 
mule  is  sure  stubborn." 

The  rest  of  the  animals  appeared  willing  enough, 
but  it  took  quite  a  while,  as  only  one  could  come 
down  to  the  stream  at  a  time.  The  banks, 
though  not  high,  were  cut  through  the  turf  and 
there  was  only  one  spot  where  there  was  a  broken 
place  and  a  couple  of  stones  where  the  horses  and 
mules  could  step  down  to  the  stream. 

"  I  guess  Jo  will  begin  to  wonder  what  has  be- 
come of  us,"  said  Jim,  as  the  last  horse  drank  his 
fill. 

When  they  turned  the  animals'  heads  towards 
the  camp  it  had  grown  dark,  while  the  great  valley 
was  filled  with  the  loneliness  and  the  deep  shadows 
of  the  night.  There  was  nothing  to  break  the  still- 
ness but  the  tune  of  the  tumbling  stream  and  the 
monotone  of  the  pine-clad  slopes  rising  blackly  on 
either  side  of  the  valley.  The  light  of  the  camp- 
fire  upon  the  hill  sent  up  its  distant  glow. 


CHAPTER   XX 

A  SURPRISE 

LET  us  now  return  to  Jo  to  keep  him  company 
during  the  absence  of  his  brethren  and  companion- 
in-arms.  He  sat  down  by  the  fire  on  a  rock  with 
his  legs  stretched  out  before  him,  for  he  was  rather 
tired,  and  his  hands  clasped  back  of  his  head.  All 
about  him  were  the  shadows  of  the  trees,  but  he 
was  perfectly  at  his  ease,  though  it  would  have 
been  lonesome  enough  if  he  had  not  known  that  the 
rest  of  the  gang  was  near. 

Still  it  would  have  been  better  if  he  had  kept 
closer  watch,  for  already  the  Frontier  Boys  had 
received  warning  that  they  were  being  trailed,  and 
Jo  should  have  seated  himself  in  the  door  of  the 
tent  so  that  his  back  would  have  been  protected, 
and  he  would  have  had  the  benefit  of  the  fire  just 
the  same.  He  likewise  naturally  trusted  to  Jeems' 
shepherd  dog  to  give  him  warning.  The  dog  lay 
near  the  front  of  the  tent  with  his  nose  over  his 
paws  and  his  brown  eyes  blinking  toward  the  blaze. 

It  was  his  presence  that  saved  Jo  at  this  time, 
nothing  else.  Shep  jumped  to '  his  feet  with  a 
176 


A    SURPRISE  177 

growl  that  grated  along  his  back  teeth,  a  growl 
that  meant  business  and  serious  business,  too. 

Let  us  see  what  was  the  cause  of  Shep's  alarm. 
Just  a  little  after  the  boys  had  left  the  hill  to  take 
the  horses  to  water,  the  figure  of  a  man  could  be 
seen  coming  stealthily  out  of  the  shadow  of  the 
pines  upon  the  slope. 

He  maneuvered  so  that  the  hill  was  between  him 
and  Skipper  Jim's  party,  then  he  stood  straight  up 
and  walked  stealthily  and  carefully,  but  neverthe- 
less swiftly,  towards  the  camp.  The  man  had  made 
a  slight  miscalculation,  for  he  supposed  that  the 
camp  was  deserted  and  that  he  could  take  what  he 
wanted  and  destroy  the  rest  before  the  boys  could 
return.  A  crooked  smile  came  over  his  face  as  he 
made  his  evil  plans.  He  would  go  through  the 
camp,  take  what  was  valuable,  throw  what  he  could 
not  use  on  the  campfire  and  as  a  last  touch  he 
would  set  fire  to  the  tent. 

Then  as  the  tenderfeet  came  rushing  back  filled 
with  anger  and  fear  at  the  sight  of  the  burning 
tent,  he  would  easily  make  his  escape  through  the 
darkness  to  the  protection  of  the  mountains,  where 
these  boys  would  never  get  him.  He  would  have, 
too,  his  booty,  which  he  would  hide  in  a  cave  he 
knew  of,  so  that  he  would  not  have  to  divide  with 


178       FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE  SIERRAS 

his  gang.  It  was  a  beautiful  plan  and  it  appealed 
to  him  in  several  ways. 

"  Those  American  pigs,"  he  said,  "  they  think 
through  their  snouts.  They  do  not  know  enough 
to  guard  their  camp  in  this  country." 

But  as  we  know,  there  was  something  of  a  sur- 
prise in  store  for  this  enterprising  gentleman.  It  is 
evident  that  he  was  not  the  same  fellow  that  Juarez 
had  detected  skulking  in  the  woods  that  morning, 
for  this  was  a  Mexican  who  was  stalking  the  boys' 
camp.  He  came  swiftly  through  the  grass,  with" 
a  silence  born  of  custom.  It  was  well  for  him 
that  he  did,  else  Jo  would  have  been  on  his  trail  in 
a  minute. 

The  Greaser,  for  such  he  deserves  to  be  called, 
went  cautiously  up  the  slope  of  the  hill,  following 
a  small  depression  which  was  a  watercourse  during 
the  rainstorms.  When  he  got  within  two-thirds  of 
the  top,  he  stopped  as  though  he  had  been  struck, 
for  there  was  the  figure  of  Jo  seated  on  the  rock 
between  him  and  the  fire.  For  a  second  his  jaw 
dropped  and  his  eyes  opened  wide.  Then  his  cun- 
ning ferocity  came  to  him. 

A  tall  bush  and  several  trees  intervened  between 
him  and  Jo,  utterly  unconscious  of  his  danger. 
Without  a  sound  he  crawled  along,  his  poniard 


A   SURPRISE  179 

gripped  between  the  gleam  of  his  strong  white 
teeth,  which  gave  him  a  snarling  and  sinister  ap- 
pearance. His  plan  was  evident.  He  did  not  dare 
to  risk  a  shot,  for  that  would  give  the  alarm  and 
he  would  have  no  chance  for  loot. 

Meanwhile,  Jo  continued  entirely  unconscious 
of  the  treacherous  approach  of  this  unseen  foe. 
Jo  was  not  thinking  of  any  danger  and  his  mind 
was  far  away  on  an  excursion  of  its  own,  dreaming 
of  the  far  corners  of  the  earth  to  which  they  would 
sail,  if  by  good  fortune  they  found  the  treasure  of 
the  Lost  Mine. 

But  Jo  was  in  an  ace  of  taking  a  longer  journey 
than  any  that  he  was  at  that  moment  dreaming  of. 
The  Mexican  had  got  almost  within  striking  dis- 
tance of  Jo  and  had  risen  to  his  feet,  not  seeing 
the  dog,  and  was  just  drawing  back  his  arm  to 
throw  the  fatal  knife  when  Shep  gave  his  growl 
of  warning  at  the  figure  he  saw  in  the  shadow 
back  of  his  master. 

If  Jo  had  been  careless  before  he  made  up  for 
it  now.  His  experience  stood  him  in  good  stead, 
for  instead  of  rising  to  his  feet  to  confront  the 
danger  as  a  tenderfoot  would  have  done,  he 
dropped  down  behind  the  rock  as  quickly  as  a 
pugilist  "ducks  his  opponent's  lead.  It  was  all  tHat 


i8o       FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE  SIERRAS 

saved  him.  "  Swish  "  swept  the  knife  with  a  flasK 
of  steel  through  the  air,  where  Jo's  body  had  been 
the  second  before.  Jo's  pistol  was  in  the  tent  on 
a  box,  but  his  hand,  as  he  dropped,  touched  a  stone. 
The  reader  perhaps  remembers  what  an  accurate 
shot  Jo  was  with  a  ball  or  rock.  If  his  memory 
goes  back  far  enough  he  will  recall  what  Jo  did  to 
the  Apache  when  he  was  trying  to  sneak  up  on 
the  boys'  fo*t  in  New  Mexico. 

As  soon  as  the  Mexican  saw  that  he  had  missed 
his  aim,  he  started  to  run.  Jo  saw  his  dark  form 
a  few  feet  away  and  hurled  the  rock,  striking  him 
behind  the  left  shoulder  and  half  knocking  him 
down.  Jo,  the  fleet  of  foot,  was  upon  him  in  a 
couple  of  bounds,  and  now  a  furious  struggle  en- 
sued between  Jo  and  the  Mexican.  The  Greaser 
was  strong  and  wiry,  also  very  desperate.  Once 
he  had  Jo  nearly  gone,  as  he  threw  him  to  his 
knees,  and  put  his  weight  upon  his  back  to  crush 
him  down. 

With  a  quick  shift  Jo  got  to  his  feet  again,  and 
the  struggle  was  renewed.  Jo  finally  got  his  man 
near  a  rock  that  stood  up  a  foot  and  a  half  above 
the  ground.  Exerting  all  of  his  lithe  strength  he 
shoved  him  back  so  that  his  heels  struck  the  rock. 
As  the  man  toppled,  Jo  threw  his  whole  weight 


A   SURPRISE  181 

against  him,  and  back  he  went  witH  tremen'dous 
'force,  striking  his  head  against  a  pine  tree. 

This  laid  the  Greaser  out  and  Jo,  panting  heavily, 
Dragged  him  into  the  firelight  and  in  a  minute 
more  had  him  tied  securely.  Then  he  sat  down  on 
a  rock,  breathing  hard,  just  as  the  voices  of  the 
returning  boys  could  be  heard  at  the  foot  of  the 
hill  as  they  were  bringing  in  the  horses.  Jo  said 
nothing,  but  sat  quietly,  knowing  how  surprised 
the  boys  would  be  to  see  this  new  addition  to  the 
family  circle. 

"  Didn't  see  any  wild  Injuns,  did  you,  Jo  ?  "  It 
was  Jim's  cheery  voice. 

"  Narry  Injun,"  replied  Jo.  Just  then  Caliente 
began  to  act  up,  surging  around  with  his  ears  back 
and  plunging  to  get  away  from  Jim.  Either  he 
saw  the  Mexican  or  suspected  his  presence. 

"  Whoa,  you  Tiger !  "  cried  Jim,  but  he  had  quite 
a  tussle  with  him  before  he  got  him  subdued.  Even 
.then  Caliente  kept  snorting  at  intervals,  with  his 
nostrils  dilating.  Then  the  boys  came  toward  the 
campfire  from  the  shadow  of  the  trees.  Mean- 
while Jo  had  thrown  a  blanket  over  the  inert  form 
of  the  Mexican,  and  he  looked  like  an  irregular 
log  of  wood. 

Perhaps  this  was  not  a  very  gallant  way  to  treat 


182       FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE   SIERRAS 

one's  fallen  foe,  but  you  are  not  apt  to  feel  very 
kindly  towards  a  man  who  has  just  tried  to  throw  a 
knife  into  your  back.  So  Jo  did  not  care  much 
if  he  was  sat  upon  and  used  for  a  sofa.  This  par- 
ticular log  was  placed  convenient  to  the  fire. 

"  You  look  rather  rumpled  and  pale,  Jo,"  grinned 
Jim.  "  Did  a  hoot  owl  scare  you  while  we  were 
gone?" 

"  I  bet  Jo  was  hiding  in  the  tent,"  jeered  Tom, 
"  with  his  head  in  the  blankets." 

Jo  looked  kind  of  sheepish  and  very  red  in  the 
face.  It  was  evident  that  he  was  struggling  with 
some  hidden  emotion.  Jim  started  to  sit  down 
upon  the  convenient  log,  and  Tom  likewise,  the 
latter  growling: 

"  You  always  try  to  get  the  best  of  everything." 

Then  they  sat  down  upon  the  supposed  log.  To 
their  utter  surprise  and  ultimate  horror,  the  log 
began  to  twist  and  turn. 

"  Whoopee ! "  yelled  Tom,  leaping  six  feet,  it 
seemed,  into  the  air,  "  it's  a  snake ! "  Jim  rose 
more  slowly,  but  very  pale.  He  was  deeply  moved, 
not  to  say  frightened.  "  Sancte  Maria,  Sancte 
Sebastina ! "  seemed  the  words  issuing  from  the 
muffled  folds  of  the  blanket.  Jim  tore  it  off  and 


A   SURPRISE  183 

there  was  the  Mexican  whom  Jo  had  had  the  round- 
up with. 

"What!"  cried  Jim;  "who  is  this?"  Jeems' 
head  was  now  looking  between  the  flaps  of  the  tent, 
into  which  he  had  dived  headfirst  when  the  log 
came  to  life. 

"  It's  one  of  the  gang  that  has  been  trailing  us," 
cried  Jeems. 

Jo  was  rolling  around  in  paroxysms  of  laughter. 

"  Whoopee ! "  he  cried  in  imitation  of  brother 
Tom,  "  it's  a  snake,"  then  he  went  off  into  another 
fit. 

"  You  durned  idiot/'  yelled  the  incensed  Tom, 
"  shut  up  laughing.  I  guess  that  fellow  is  a  snake. 
You  might  have  scared  me  into  breaking  a  blood 
vessel." 

"  I  came  near  scaring  you  into  breaking  the  rec- 
ord for  the  high  jump,"  panted  Jo,  weak  from 
laughter. 

"  But  where  did  you  capture  this  specimen,  Jo  ?  " 
asked  Jim  with  a  quiet  smile.  To  tell  the  truth 
he  was  somewhat  chagrined,  for  he  could  not  deny 
even  to  himself  that  he  had  been  badly  frightened 
by  Jo's  trick. 

"  Look   a   here,   boys,"    cried   Jeems,   "  here   is 


184       FRONTIER   BOYS  IN   THE   SIERRAS 

wfiere  a  knife  has  gone  clean  through  the  corner 
of  this  tent." 

"Sure  enough,"  agreed  Jim,  examining  the  cut 
in  the  canvas. 

"  Here's  the  weapon/*  said  Juarez,  who  was 
quick  to  follow  up  a  trail  of  any  kind.  He  brought 
the  dagger  to  the  firelight,  and  they  looked  at  it 
with  interest.  It  had  a  very  keen  blade,  sharp- 
pointed  and  two  edged.  The  handle  was  richly 
engraved  and  of  silver. 

"  How  is  this,  Jo?  "  inquired  Jim.  "  Tell  us  the 
whole  story  even  if  it  implicates  your  friend  here, 
the  human  log."  There  was  a  grim  quality  in 
Jim's  voice  which  made  the  Mexican  roll  his  eyes 
viciously. 


CHAPTER  XXI 

THE    GREASER 

"You  are  certainly  a  great  chap  for  collecting 
knives,"  said  Jim  admiringly  to  his  brother  Jo. 
"  Somebody  is  always  giving  you  one  or  throwing 
it  at  you.  Remember  that  Indian  friend  of  yours 
who  crept  up  on  you  that  night  in  Kansas  and 
threw  the  bowie  at  you  ?  " 

"  I'm  not  likely  to  forget  that  souvenir,"  grinned 
Jo.  "  But  this  fellow  certainly  was  going  to  give 
me  the  best  surprise  of  all.  Was  it  not  so,  Sefior 
Manuello  Greaser o  ?  "  and  Jo  gave  the  fellow  a 
contemptuous  stir  with  his  foot  and  the  Mexican 
responded  with  an  open-mouthed  snarl  for  all  the 
world  like  a  wild  cat  when  you  poke  a  stick  at 
him. 

"  It  was  a  dirty,  treacherous  piece  of  business," 
said  Jim,  his  face  growing  dark  with  anger.  "  I'm 
going  to  put  this  fellow  to  the  question." 

But  they  made  no  headway  with  the  prisoner,  as 
he  maintained  a  stubborn  silence  about  himself  and 
his  associates.  Finally  Jim,  tired  and  disgusted, 
rose  to  his  feet  and  looked  down  at  the  Mexican. 

185 


i86       FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE  SIERRAS 

"  Give  me  that  dagger,  Jo,"  he  said.  Jo  handed 
over  the  silver-handled  weapon,  while  the  Mexican 
watched  Jim  with  eyes  of  concentrated  hate.  He  be- 
lieved his  last  hour  had  come. 

"Have  you  got  anything  to  say  for  yourself?" 
inquired  Jim  savagely,  as  he  felt  the  edge  of  the 
knife  with  his  thumb. 

"  I  want  to  see  a  priest,"  croaked  the  Mexican 
in  a  hoarse  voice. 

"I  can  furnish- you  with  a  philosopher,"  said 
Jim.  "  Here,  Jeems,  can  you  offer  any  advice  to 
this  cutthroat  or  consolation  either?" 

"  I  haven't  any  license  to  talk  to  the  likes  of 
him,"  said  Jeems  gravely.  "  He  wants  a  guarantee 
for  the  next  life  and  I  won't  give  it  to  him.  But  I 
can  tell  him  one  thing,  if  he  don't  hang  now,  he 
will  later." 

When  the  Mexican  saw  that  his  life  was  going  to 
be  spared,  he  may  have  been  surprised,  but  he 
showed  no  sign  of  gratitude.  It  was  now  time 
for  the  boys  to  turn  in,  but  of  course  the  camp  was 
not  left  without  a  guard.  The  night  was  divided 
up  into  watches.  Tom  was  to  watch  until  eleven ; 
then  Jeems  Howell  was  to  have  the  watch  until 
one ;  Jim  to  three ;  Juarez  to  five,  and  Jo  the  hour 
until  six. 


THE   GREASER  187 

It  was  necessary  to  keep  up  a  moderate  fire, 
for  the  hours  toward  midnight  were  very  cold. 
Tom  kept  moving  around  briskly  when  the  others 
had  turned  into  the  tent. 

The  boys  did  not  lay  awake  a  minute,  for  they 
were  wholesomely  tired  and  the  clear,  cold  air, 
touched  with  the  fragrance  of  the  pines,  caused 
them  to  sleep  sound  and  hard.  The  light  from  the 
fire  shone  into  the  tent  where  the  boys  were 
stretched  out,  wrapped  in  their  blankets.  They  did 
not  have  to  sleep  with  one  eye  open,  because  they 
had  confidence  that  the  one  on  guard  would  warn 
them  if  any  danger  approached. 

Tom,  as  I  have  said,  was  on  the  alert.  He 
moved  around  the  camp,  seeing  that  the  horses 
were  all  right  and  going  down  the  slope  of  the  hill 
a  ways  in  the  darkness  if  he  heard  any  suspicious 
sound,  with  his  pistol  gripped  firmly  in  his  hand 
and  the  faithful  Shep  pattering  along  at  his  heels. 
The  dog  was  a  good  deal  of  company  for  Tom. 
Then  they  would  return  to  the  fire  where  the 
Mexican  lay  bound,  with  his  hat  pulled  down  over 
his  head,  but  with  his  shifty  black  eyes  continually 
on  the  alert.  If  he  had  any  plan,  he  had  no  chance 
to  carry  it  out  while  Tom  was  on  duty. 

At  eleven  o'clock  promptly,  Tom  stole  into  the 


i88       FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE   SIERRAS 

tent,  and  stepping  over  Juarez  waked  up  Jeems, 
who  sat  up  with  a  tousled  head  of  hair  and  sadly 
sleepy,  but  he  took  it  all  like  a  philosopher,  and 
stooped  out  of  the  tent  to  take  his  watch  on  deck. 
A  slight  change  had  come  over  the  weather.  A 
few  dark  and  heavy  clouds  were  drifting  high' 
across  the  valley  and  there  was  a  steady  roar  of 
wind  among  the  pines  upon  the  mountain  slopes. 

The  prisoner  noticed  the  change  of  guard  with 
interest.  "  I  am  thirsty,  Senor,"  he  said.  The 
philosopher  went  and  procured  for  him  a  drink. 
"  A  little  closer  to  the  fire  now,  Sefior.  I  feel 
cold."  The  shepherd  did  as  requested. 

"  Don't  ask  me  to  make  tea  for  you  now,  because 
I  would  have  to  refuse." 

The  man  gave  no  sign  that  he  understooc),  and 
Jeems  went  back  to  the  horses  to  see  how  they 
were  getting  along.  It  was  quite  a  family  party  of 
animals  and  if  one  had  been  gone  the  others  would 
have  missed  him  sadly. 

They  were  all  fastened  to  rather  small  trees 
back  of  the  tent.  The  mules  stood  with  heads 
slightly  bent  and  perfectly  still.  Jeems  went  up  to 
old  Missouri,  pulling  his  long  ears  affectionately, 
and  his  muleship  did  not  seem  to  mind  it  in  the 
least.  As  Jeems  often  said,  they  were  kindred 
souls.  The  ponies  stood  with  drooping  heads.  Jo's 


THE   GREASER  189 

horse  had  his  head  resting  over  the  neck  of  Tom's, 
for  they  were  quite  chums. 

But  Jim's  Caliente  seemed  restless  and  not  quiet 
like  the  others.'  He  had  a  good-sized  pine  for  his 
anchorage,  and  was  in  the  center  of  the  group, 
while  the  others  were  tied  in  a  circle  around  him. 
He  was  shaking  his  head  and  stamping  his  feet, 
but  Jeems  could  not  find  that  there  was  anything 
especially  the  matter  with  him. 

Just  then  the  shepherd  thought  he  heard  some- 
thing moving,  or  creeping  through  the  brush  below 
and  he  went  cautiously  down  to  investigate.  He 
had  got  below  the  crest  of  the  hill,  about  fifty  feet, 
when  he  was  sure  that  he  saw  something  crouching 
and  moving  swiftly  off  through  the  darkness.  He 
cried  halt  and  was  about  to  fire  his  revolver  at  it 
when  the  object  disappeared  as  though  the  earth 
had  swallowed  it  up.  Then,  too,  Jeems  was  not  a 
very  ready  hand  with  a  pistol;  few  philosophers 
are;  it  requires  an  impulsive  temperament  to  shoot 
offhand.  Jeems  made  his  way  back  to  the  camp  de- 
bating in  his  mind  whether  he  should  wake  up  the 
boys  and  tell  them  what  he  had  seen.  This  ques- 
tion was  settled  for  him  as  soon  as  he  arrived  in 
front  of  the  tent.  One  glance  was  enough,  he  saw 
that  the  Mexican  prisoner  had  escaped.  He  was 
evidently  clean  gone. 


ipo       FRONTIER  BOYS  IN  THE  SIERR'AS 

"  He's  gone,  Hoys,"  cried  Jeems,  sticking  his  head 
into  the  tent. 

"  Who's  gone  ? "  they  cried,  simultaneously  sit- 
ting up. 

"The  Mexican,"  replied  Jeems. 

"How  long?"  cried  Jim,  getting  outside  of  the 
tent  in  a  jiffy. 

"  I  haven't  been  gone  over  five  minutes,  maybe 
eight,  though,"  he  added  reflectively. 

"  Good  riddance  to  bad  rubbish,"  was  Jim's  ver- 
dict. 

"  I'm  glad  we  do  not  have  to  have  him  around 
anyway,"  chimed  in  Jo. 

"  But  how  did  the  beggar  get  away  ? "  inquired 
Juarez.  "He  was  tied  tight  enough,  I  reckon." 

"  Here's  the  answer,"  said  Jim,  stooping  over  and 
picking  up  a  piece  of  rope  that  lay  on  the  edge  of 
the  circle  of  the  firelight. 

"  Why,  it  has  been  burned  through !  "  exclaimed 
Juarez. 

"  Exactly,"  replied  Jim. 

"How  did  he  get  close  enough  to  the  fire  to 
<do  that?"  asked  Tom. 

"  I  would  have  thought  that  he  would  have  burnt 
himself  up,"  said  Jo. 

"  It  was  simple  enough,"  explained  Jim.     "  A 


THE   GREASER  191 

coal  rolled  close  to  him  and  he  was  able  to  get  the 
rope  that  tied  his  hands  against  it  and  burnt 
through,  and  the  rest  was  easy." 

"  That  was  a  pretty  good  trick,"  said  Juarez. 
"We  will  have  to  remember  that." 

"  I  would  be  afraid  of  burning  myself,"  objected 
Tom. 

"  That  Mexican  wouldn't  feel  it  if  you  did  put 
a  live  coal  on  him,"  quoth  Juarez.  "They  don't 
mind  heat." 

"  I  bet  he  gets  his  gang  on  our  trail,"  said  Jo. 
"  We  will  have  to  look  out  for  trouble  from  now 
on." 

"We  will  be  ready  for  them,"  remarked  Jim 
significantly. 

"  It  looks  a  little  bit  like  a  thunderstorm,  boys," 
said  Juarez. 

"We  had  better  peg  that  tent  down  tighter," 
said  Jo.  "  It  is  going  to  blow,  too,  in  a  short 
while." 

The  boys  did  not  get  things  ship-shape  any  too 
soon.  The  black  clouds  were  drifting  in  a  gloomy 
procession  over  the  great  valley,  then  came  a  flash' 
that  showed  the  expanse  of  the  level  meadow  in  a 
green-white  color  and  the  somber  pine-clad  slopes, 
then  the  wind  and  rain  together. 


CHAPTER   XXII 

HAIL 

THE  storm  drifted  steadily  northward  over  the 
valley  with  its  accompanying  flashes  of  lightning, 
followed  by  volleys  of  rain  mingled  with  the  shot 
of  hail.  As  soon  as  the  boys  heard  the  hail  on  the 
canvas  roof  of  their  tent  they  hustled  out  to  put 
blankets  on  their  horses,  so  as  to  protect  them  from 
the  beating  hail.  They  moved  them  under  the  pro- 
tecting branches  as  much  as  possible  and  made 
them  as  snug  as  they  could. 

"  Remember  the  time  we  got  into  a  hail  storm  in 
Kansas?"  questioned  Jo,  as  they  walked  back 
through  the  beating  white  pellets,  that  were  getting 
larger  every  minute. 

"  That  was  fun,"  laughed  Tom.  "  We  pretended 
that  the  hail  was  bullets  and  the  one  who  was 
struck  on  the  head  was  to  be  dead." 

"  You  were  it,"  declared  Jo. 

"  I  was  not,"  said  Tom  decidedly. 

"  We  will  leave  it  to  this  storm  to  decide,"  said 

Jo. 

"  All  right,"  agreed  Tom. 
192 


HAIL  193 

"Jeems  to  Se  the  referee,"  said  Jo. 

This  was  likewise  acceptable  to  Tom.  The  hail 
was  now  coming  faster  and  of  good  size,  about  as 
big  as  the  end  of  one's  thumb,  but  the  boys  did 
not  seem  to  mind  as  they  slouched  along  with  their 
sombreros  pulled  down  around  their  ears,  thus 
affording  pretty  fair  protection.  Just  then  a  big 
bullet  of  hail  struck  fairly  on  top  of  Tom's  skull 
and  bounced,  the  others  saw,  about  six  inches  into 
the  air. 

"  Hurrah !  "  yelled  Jo,  "  that  proves  it.  You  are 
it  again.  Isn't  he  judge?"  this  to  Jeems. 

"  You  mean  hit  again,  not  'it.  I  fear  you  are 
English,"  replied  Jeems. 

"Don't  insult  me,"  said  Jo,  "I'm  plain  U.  S. 
Southwest.  But  isn't  Tom  out?" 

"  Yes,"  replied  Jeems,  "  he  is." 

"  What !  "  cried  Tom  in  great  surprise,  "  did 
something  strike  me." 

"  I  always  thought  your  head  was  thick,"  replied 
Jo  contemptuously,  "  now  I'm  sure  of  it." 

By  this  time  they  had  reached  the  shelter  of  the 
tent  and  stood  looking  out  at  the  antics  of  the  hail 
as  it  danced  upon  the  hard  ground  and  leaped  from 
the  surface  of  the  rocks,  and  spatted  into  fire  until 
a  steam  arose  into  the  air.  In  a  short  time  the 


194       FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE  SIERRAS 

ground  was  covered  with  several  inches  of  white- 
ness. 

"  Did  you  boys  ever  hear  that  old  circus  joke?  " 
inquired  Jeems,  looking  musingly  out  at  the  jump- 
ing hail. 

"  Not  recently,"  said  Jo.  "  Fire  away,  Jeems, 
and  relieve  your  mind." 

"  Well,  in  the  circus  they  have  a  king  rigged 
up  on  a  throne.  Him  in  a  red  robe  and  a  tinsel 
crown.  All  the  varlets  cqme  in  and  bow  low  be- 
fore his  majesty.  Then  comes  the  clown  and  bows 
lower  than  the  others. 

"'Hail!    Hail  I'  he  cries. 

' '  How  dare  you  hail/  roars  the  king,  '  when 
I'm  reigning ! '  Then  the  crowd  yells." 

"  That  isn't  so  worse,  Jeems,"  laughed  Jo,  and 
the  rest  joined  in. 

"  What's  the  difference,  boys,"  questioned  Jim, 
"  between  rain  and  a  hen  ?  " 

"  Give  it  up,"  said  the  chorus. 

"  The  one  lays  the  dust  and  the  other  dost  lay." 

Then  Jim  leaped  out  of  the  tent  to  get  away  from 
the  boys,  who  would  have  combined  and  given  him 
a  good  licking  in  token  of  their  appreciation  of  his 
brilliant  wit.  It  was  his  turn  to  keep  watch,  any- 
way, and  so  he  stayed  out  under  a  tree,  while  the 


HAIL  195 

boys  went  peacefully  to  sleep,  with  the  hail  beating 
on  the  canvas  roof  of  their  tent,  confident  that  with 
Jim  on  deck  they  would  be  safe  enough. 

How  about  the  vanished  Mexican  ?  He  had  made 
his  escape  as  Jim  had  said.  Though  stiff  from 
being  tightly  bound  and  suffering  from  the  blow 
he  had  got  from  the  stone  that  Jo  had  thrown  at 
him,  he  made  quick  time  to  the  pine-clad  slope  of 
the  mountain.  He  seemed  to  know  the  way  even 
through  the  darkness  of  the  forest  of  pine.  After 
going  half  a  mile  he  saw  the  outline  of  his  horse 
hitched  to  a  sapling. 

As  soon  as  he  was  mounted  he  turned  his  ani- 
mal's head  down  the  slope  until  he  came  to  the  edge 
of  the  meadow.  There  he  stopped  for  a  moment 
and  looked  towards  the  star  of  the  boys'  campfire 
upon  the  hill,  then  he  shook  his  fist  in  their  direc- 
tion, with  an  imprecation  and  a  threat  of  what  was 
going  to  happen  to  them  in  a  short  time.  Finally 
he  turned  his  mustang's  head  up  the  valley  and  rode 
at  a  slow  dog  trot  through  the  darkness,  groaning 
considerably  with  the  pain  that  the  jolting  gave 
him. 

In  a  short  time  the  storm  overtook  him  and  the 
falling  hail  made  his  pony  hump  himself  threaten- 
ingly, but  his  rider  gave  him  a  dig  with  his  long 


196       FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE  SIERRAS 

and  cruel  spurs  in  the  flank  and  that  furnished  the 
broncho  with  something  else  to  think  about.  After 
several  miles  of  hard  travel,  the  two  began  going 
up  steadily,  along  a  narrow  and  steep  trail,  with 
the  brawling  stream  below.  The  valley  had  nar- 
rowed into  a  deep  canyon  with  great  walls  of  pale 
granite,  and  uncountable  black  pines  growing 
everywhere. 

The  hail  made  the  trail  slippery  and  once  the 
horse  came  near  slipping  into  the  depths  of  the 
gorge  below,  but  with  a  tremendous  straining  ef- 
fort the  plucky  animal  scrambled  back  to  safety. 
It  was  evident  that  his  rider  was  born  to  be  hanged, 
for  he  seemed  able  to  escape  every  other  form  of 
death.  Having  regained  the  trail,  he  rode  on  for 
some  distance,  then  he  turned  into  a  side  canyon, 
and  his  knowing  horse  took  him  through  the 
labyrinth  of  trees,  until  there  appeared  a  light  of  a 
campfire  at  the  end  of  the  trail.  The  gaunt  forms 
of  some  men  could  be  seen  moving  around  it. 

One  of  the  men  heard  the  approach  of  the  Mexi- 
can and  gave  the  alarm.  In  an  instant  no  one  was 
in  sight,  but  there  were  a  number  of  guns  ready 
to  take  the  number  of  the  stranger  whoever  he 
might  be.  But  the  Mexican  was  on  to  their  little 
jvays.  He  reined  in  his  horse,  gave  a  low  whistle, 


HAIL  if? 

and  called  out  something  in  Spanish'  and  tfien  rode 
up  to  the  group. 

There  were  'eight  in  the  gang,  including  the  stout 
red-necked  man  who  had  given  the  boys  a  chase 
early  in  the  morning.  The  evident  leader  of  the 
crowd  was  a  lanky  young  fellow  whose  unusual 
length  of  limb  did  not  indicate  any  frailty  of 
physique.  He  was  a  man  to  be  dreaded  in  any  en- 
counter. Gus  Gols  had  a  rather  shock  head  of 
light  hair,  one  bunch  always  sticking  up;  high 
cheek  bones,  a  skin  of  dully  burnished  red,  and 
rather  small  blue  eyes^  both  keen  and  insolent  in 
their  gaze.  He  had  a  queer,  aggressive  way  of 
hooking  his  head  forward  when  speaking  that  was 
very  noticeable. 

He  was  not  vicious  in  speech,  but  he  was  in  ac- 
tion, and  was*  one  of  the  most  dangerous  characters 
in  the  West.  He  had  been  cowboy,  cattle  rustler 
and  road  agent  in  different  parts  of  the  country 
west  of  the  Missouri.  Now  he  was  at  the  head  of  a 
desperate  gang  who  raided  far  and  wide,  taking 
gold  from  the  pack  trains  or  from  the  individual 
miner,  where  he  had  struck  it  rich;  even  making 
raids  on  the  settlements  on  the  western  slope  of 
the  Sierras. 

It  appeared  as  though  the  Frontier  Boys  .were 


ig8       FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE  SIERRAS 

walking  directly  into  the  jaws  -of  this  desperate 
gang.  They  were  already  trailing  them  and  might 
pounce  upon  them  at  any  time.  Physically  it 
would  seem  that  Jim  himself  would  be  no  match 
for  "  Big  Gus,"  as  he  was  generally  known  in  that 
section  of  the  woods,  but  two  of  them,  say  Jim 
and  Juarez,  would  have  made  it  interesting  for 
him. 

Gus  G-ols  listened  to  his  Mexican's  story  of  ad- 
venture with  much  impassiveness,  then  he  got 
slowly  to  his  feet.  He  had  made  no  comment  to 
break  the  course  of  the  Greaser's  narrative,  only 
eyeing  him  occasionally  with  a  squint  of  his  hard 
blue  eyes. 

"  I  don't  see,  Mike  (his  true  name  was  Miguel 
Jose  Maria,  etc.),  why  them  fellars  down  there  in 
the  valley  didn't  choke  the  breath  out  of  your  black 
carcass ;  they  must  be  soft  ones,  and  I'm  going  to 
git  their  horses  pretty  soon  now.  I'm  going  to 
turn  in,  and  I  don't  want  you  boys  raising  Cain 
around  here.  If  you  want  to  do  any  chawing  be 
quiet  about  it,  understand?" 

They  understood  perfectly;  Miguel  Jose  Maria, 
better  known  as  "  Mike,"  looking  blackly  at  the 
slouching  figure  of  "  the  boss,"  as  the  giant  stooped 
his, head  through  the  low  doorway  of  the  cabin. 


HAIL  199 

What  he  muttered  to  himself  was  complimentary 
neither  to  Big  Gus'  character  nor  career,  but  he 
stood  in  great  fear  of  him  nevertheless.  It  was 
characteristic  of  Gus  Gols'  shrewdness  that  his  gang 
was  made  up  for  the  most  part  of  Mexicans  and 
half-breeds,  with  only  two  white  men  for  lieuten- 
ants. 

He  could  dominate  these  mongrels  and  make 
them  subservient.  Also  they  had  to  be  satisfied 
with  a  small  part  of  the  spoils,  while  with  a  gang 
of  white  men  he  would  have  been  obliged  to  have 
divided  up  evenly  and  he  would  constantly  have 
had  to  prove  his  right  to  leadership.  He  had 
drilled  his  motley  crew  until  they  were  a  very 
dangerous  band  of  outlaws.  Naturally  the  Mexi- 
cans and  half-breeds  were  poor  shots,  but  Big  Gus 
had  trained  them  until  he  had  made  good  marks- 
men out  of  them,  and  cool  under  fire.  He  had 
used  threats,  cajolery  and  even  occasional  money 
prizes  to  obtain  this  result. 

From  this  it  was  evident  that  the  Frontier  Boys 
had  their  work  cut  out  for  them,  with  this  danger- 
ous gang  barring  their  way  and  liable  to  attack 
them  at  any  time.  Gus  Gols  was  even  now  making 
his  plans  for  an  ambush  or  a  raid.  The  reports 
that  his  scouts  had  brought  him  in  regard  to  the 


200       FRONTIER  BOYS  IN    THE   SIERRAS 

boys'  horses  had  made  him  greedy  to  get  hold  of 
them. 

His  own  horseflesh  was  not  in  the  best  of  shape. 
Besides,  he  needed  ammunition  and  other  supplies 
which  the  boys  had  so  thoughtfully  brought  along. 
He  chuckled  to  himself  as  he  saw  how  easy  it  all 
was.  What  chance  would  those  tenderfoot  kids 
have  against  his  cunning  courage,  strength  and  the 
odds  of  numbers?  He  would  eat  them  alive.  In 
truth  there  seemed  excellent  ground  for  his  con- 
fidence and  it  would  take  something  besides  luck 
to  save  Jim  and  his  followers  at  this  crisis.  It- 
would  require  hard  fighting  and  skillful  strategy. 

"  The  Boss  is  planning  some  devilment  or 
ruther,"  said  the  red-faced  scout  to  the  other  white 
man.  "  It's  a  sartain  sign  when  he  chuckles  to 
himself  that  a-way." 

"  Your  diagnosis  is  correct,  Ephraim,"  replied 
his  pal,  giving  his  black  moustache  a  delicate 
twist. 

"  Better  not  let  Big  Gus  hear  you  use  such  lan- 
guage, Edgar,"  said  Eph,  "  because  he's  kind  of 
tetchy  sometimes." 

Edgar  only  laughed.  He  was  an  odd  sheep  to 
be  in  such  a  fold,  for  he  looked  more  like  a  con- 
sumptive than  an  outlaw ;  his  face  had  a  decided 


HAIL  201 

pallor,  and  he  was  subject  to  a  hacking  cough.  It 
was  evident  that  he  also  gave  some  attention  to 
dress  and  a  r£al  diamond  shone  in  his  shirt  front, 
once  white,  but  now  of  a  dubious  grime. 

But  make  no  mistake.  Next  to  the  Boss  he  was 
the  most  dangerous  man  in  the  pack.  He  was  a 
man  with  a  certain  amount  of  education,  but  it  did 
him  no  good,  and  if  he  got  near  a  piano,  he  could 
make  it  hum  with  harmony.  His  chief  accomplish- 
ment, however,  and  one  which  made  him  valuable 
to  his  chief,  was  his  ability  to  use  a  revolver  with 
rapidity  and  precision. 

"You  fellars  better  turn  in;"  it  was  the  voice 
of  Gus  Gols ; '"  I'm  liable  to  give  yer  somethin'  be- 
sides conversation  in  a  day  or  two.  I  want  yer 
to  look  pink  and  purty  if  we  should  happen  to 
meet  them  swell  tenderfeet.  Shet  up  now."  They 
"  shet." 


CHAPTER   XXIII 

A    HOLIDAY 

"  IT'S  going  to  be  a  fine  day,"  said  Jim.  He 
was  standing  in  front  of  the  tent  on  the  hill  and 
taking  a  preliminary  look  at  the  sky.  It  certainly 
had  the  appearance  of  being  just  .as  he  said.  The 
sun  was  sweeping  the  shining  length  of  the  valley 
with  his  fresh  and  early  beams  and  there  were  a 
few  fair,  faint  clouds  drawn  across  the  broad  blue 
brow  of  morning. 

"There's  nothing  like  the  first  break  of  day  in 
the  mountains,"  said  Jeems.  "  I've  seen  it  a 
hundred  times  and  I  never  get  tired  of  it." 

"  It  certainly  makes  you  feel  fine  and  fit,  this 
air  after  a  night's  sleep,"  said  Jo,  who  stood  poised 
on  the  edge  of  the  hill,  with  his  hands  resting 
lightly  on  his  hips.  He  did  look  fit  as  he  said,  and 
the  rest  of  the  boys,  too,  with  their  sunbrowned 
faces  and  sinewy  figures,  every  pound  of  which 
was  bone  and  muscle.  It  gave  one  more  confidence 
in  their  ability  to  stand  off  the  outlaws.  One  look 
into  their  keen,  alert  eyes  showed  that  they  were 
not  to  be  caught  napping,  either. 

202 


A   HOLIDAY  203 

"What's  the  program  for  to-day,  Skipper?" 
asked  Jeems. 

"  Juarez  aad  I  are  going  after  deer  or  any  other 
game  we  can  get,"  said  Jim.  "The  rest  of  you 
can  do  what  you  feel  like,  only  don't  overexert 
yourselves." 

"  I'm  going  fishing,"  declared  Tom. 

"  Me  too,"  chimed  in  Jo. 

"  I  shall  stay  at  home  then,"  said  Jeems,  "  and 
look  after  things  until  you  children  get  back.  I 
shan't  mind  a  quiet  day  with  no  callers." 

"  Don't  be  too  sure  about  there  being  no  callers, 
Jeems,"  warned  Juarez.  "  Remember  what  hap- 
pened to  Jo  last  evening  and  be  careful  or  you  will 
be  among  the  missing." 

"  I  don't  know  why  the  other  party  shouldn't 
be  among  the  missing,"  declared  Jeems.  "  I'm  a 
terrible  fighter  when  I  get  started." 

"  You  would  stop  when  the  other  fellow  said 
'  ouch,' "  remarked  Tom,  "  and  get  a  drink  of 
water." 

"  I'm  not  much  of  a  mule  when  it  comes  to  hold- 
ing a  grudge,  and  certain  that's  a  fact,"  admitted 
Jeems. 

"You're  all  right,"  declared  Jim  with  earnest- 
ness. 


204       FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE   SIERRAS 

"  Sure  you  are,"  said  the  chorus,  and  Jeems  in 
acknowledgment  bowed  low. 

"  I  thank  your  Royal  Highnesses  for  your  ap- 
preciation of  your  humble  servant,"  he  said. 

"  You're  welcome,"  replied  Jim  briefly. 

Jim  and  Juarez  were  soon  on  their  chargers, 
and  they  made  a  fine  appearance;  Jim  on  his 
powerful  animal,  Caliente,  with  his  strong,  arched 
neck,  body  and  hindquarters  built  for  speed,  and 
shoulders  to  crash  through  all  barriers  of  an  enemy ; 
his  gray  mottled  coat  fairly  glistened  in  the  sun. 

Juarez's  roan  was  a  smaller  horse  than  Cali- 
ente, but  he,  too,  was  fleet  and  of  tireless  endur- 
ance. He  was  somewhat  wall-eyed  and  vicious  at 
times,  but  Juarez  was  the  master.  The  story  of 
the  capture  of  the  horses  is  told  in  "  Frontier  Boys 
in  Mexico,"  so  I  will  not  rehearse  it  here. 

No  sooner  had  the  two  horsemen  left  the  hill 
than  they  whirled  their  rifles  over  their  heads  and 
gave  their  horses  the  rein.  Away  they  dashed  at 
full  speed  over  the  level  meadows,  near  the  edge  of 
the  dark  tree-clad  slopes,  as  though  they  were  re- 
viewing the  vast  army  of  the  pines. 

"  There  they  go  like  wild  Indians,"  said  Tom. 
"  We  will  have  a  quiet  day  now." 

In  a  few  minutes  Tom  and  Jo  were  going  across 


A   HOLIDAY  205 

the  level  meadow  with  the  slender  poles  tKey  had 
cut  and  the  lines  and  hooks  ready.  As  for  Jeems, 
he  proceeded  to  make  himself  comfortable,  taking 
his  blankets  and  spreading  them  out  under  the 
shade  of  a  tree,  stretching  himself  out  upon  them 
with  his  hands  clasped  under  his  head,  and  gazing 
at  the  distant  clouds,  drifting  dreamily  over  the 
depths  of  blue,  while  there  came  through  the  sun- 
warmed  air  the  continual  murmur  of  insects. 

Near  Jeems'  side  his  faithful  shepherd  dog  was 
curled  up  in  lazy  contentment,  with  his  eyes  peace- 
fully closed,  opening  with  an  occasional  blink,  then 
closing  again.  It  was  a  happy  interval  for  Jeems, 
and  he  thoroughly  enjoyed  the  quietness  of  the 
scene,  for  he  was  a  philosopher  by  nature  as  well 
as  by  name,  and  he  liked  to  have  time  for  his  own 
mind.  "  You  can't  hatch  thoughts  unless  you  sit 
on  'em  a  while,"  was  one  of  his  quaint  phrases. 

Meanwhile,  Tom  and  Jo  were  walking  across 
the  sunny  meadows  with  their  minds  filled  with 
great  expectations  of  the  trout  they  were  about  to 
catch.  It  was  a  sort  of  a  holiday  for  them,  and 
they  did  not  envy  Jim  and  Juarez  in  the  least,  and 
were  actually  sorry  for  Jeems,  since  they  were 
born  fishermen.  When  they  reached  the  stream 
they  separated,  Jo  going  up  where  there  were  some 


206       FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE   SIERRAS 

willow  bushes  overhanging  the  water,  and  Tom 
going  down  where  he  hoped  to  find  some  quiet 
pools. 

The  wHole  valley  was  a  scene  of  utmost  peace, 
and  no  one  would  dream  that  there  was  war  gath- 
ering, as  it  were,  in  the  near  future,  but  there  un- 
doubtedly was.  The  only  bit  of  tactics  that  Jo  had 
in  his  mind  at  present  was  how  to  get  the  big  trout 
who  lurked  in  the  shadow  of  the  limpid  pool.  He 
cast  carefully  and  watched  the  float  on  his  line 
with  intense  interest.  Five  minutes  passed,  then 
came  the  heart-throbbing  second  when  the  float 
went  under  and  there  was  a  strong,  tense  pull  on 
the  line.  Steadily  Jo  pulled  until  there  shone  in 
the  air  a  gleaming  trout. 

It  was  a  beauty  with  olive-green  back,  shading 
down  the  sides  to  white  with  spots  of  black  and 
red.  It  was  thirteen  inches  in  length,  and  Jo 
promised  himself  quite  a  triumph  over  Tom  when 
he  should  show  him  this  prize.  By  noon  Jo  had 
caught  ten  fish  varying  from  seven  inches  to  a  foot 
in  length.  He  and  Tom  met  down  stream  several 
miles,  at  noon. 

"  What  luck?  "  inquired  Tom. 

"  Better  than  yowrs,"  declared  Jo  proudly.  "  I've 
got  the  biggest  fish." 


A   HOLIDAY  207 

"You  have  not/'  said  Tom,  and  to  prove  it  he 
pulled  out  of  his  bag  a  good  big  trout. 

"  There !  "  , 

"Huh!  You  just  wait,"  retorted  Jo,  fishing 
into  his  sack.  "  How  does  that  strike  you  ?  "  and 
he  pulled  out  his  champion. 

"  Let's  measure,"  said  Tom.  Jo's  fish  was  a  half 
inch  longer,  and  he  also  had  two  more  than  his 
brother,  for  Tom  had  caught  only  eight. 

They  ate  their  lunch  on  a  little  gravelly  knoll 
where  there  were  some  pine  trees  not  far  from  the 
stream. 

What  with  a  couple  of  trout,  backed  by  what 
they  had  brought,  and  the  cold  water  from  the 
stream,  they  fared  very  well,  indeed. 

"  I  reckon  we  will  do  better  than  Jim  and 
Juarez,"  said  Tom.  "  I  don't  believe  that  they  will 
get  anything." 

"We  ought  to  do  well  this  afternoon,"  said  Jo. 

And  they  did.  By  four  o'clock  they  had  a  joint 
catch  of  thirty-five  trout,  and  decided  that  was 
enough  for  the  present.  At  Jo's  suggestion  they 
decided  to  give  Jeems  a  surprise.  So  they  ap- 
proached the  hill  with  due  care,  making  their  attack 
on  the  side  towards  the  slope  of  the  mountain 
which  was  best  protected.  They  began  their 


208       FRONTIER   BOYS  IN   THE   SIERRAS 

stealthy  crawl  up  through  the  pine  trees,  until  they 
came  in  sight  of  the  camp. 

The  first  evidence  they  saw  of  Jeems  was  his 
feet  sticking  out,  being  quite  prominent  in  their 
blue  socks  with  white  tips,  he  having  removed  his 
boots  for  comfort.  His  back  was  against  a  big 
pine,  and  he  was  peacefully  asleep.  Before  he 
could  move  a  rope  was  passed  quickly  around  his 
chest  and  he  was  bound  firmly  to  the  tree  by  un- 
seen hands. 

"  Help ! "  he  yelled.  "  Tom,  Jo,  come  here  quick, 
they've  got  me !  " 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

BIG  GUS   AND   HIS  GANG 

THUS  having  got  poor  Jeems  securely  tied,  Tom 
and  Jo  vamoosed  down  the  hill  shaking  with 
laughter.  Then  they  ran  around  the  edge  to  the 
brook  side  of  the  hill  and  ran  to  Jeems*  rescue,  he 
yelling  lustily  for  help. 

"Where  did  they  go?"  cried  Jo. 

"  Back  to  the  woods,"  replied  Jeems. 

"  How  many  were  they  ?  "  asked  Tom. 

"  I  couldn't  count  'em,"  answered  Jeems. 

"What  were  you  doing?"  inquired  Jo,  "while 
these  rascals  were  tying  you  ?  " 

"  NuthinV  replied  Jeems. 

"  I  suppose  you  were  asleep,"  put  in  Tom. 

"  I  was  meditating,"  replied  Jeems  with  dignity. 

"  With  your  eyes  shut,"  added  Jo. 

"  The  best  way,"  explained  Jeems,  "  for  in  that 
way  it  shuts  out  every  outside  object,  even  out- 
laws." 

"  I  wonder  what  luck  Jim  and  Juarez  are  hav^ 
ing?  "  said  Jo,  changing  the  subject. 
209 


210       FRONTIER   BOYS  IN   THE   SIERRAS 

"  They  ought  to  be  showing  up  pretty  soon 
now,"  remarked  Tom. 

"  Maybe  they  have  got  tied  up  too,"  said  Jeems. 

Let  us  solve  this  for  ourselves  by  following  Jim 
and  Juarez  on  their  hunting  expedition.  Conclud- 
ing their  race,  they  settled  down  to  the  search  for 
game.  After  going  several  miles  they  branched 
off  to  the  northwest  where  a  part  of  the  valley 
formed  a  park  with  trees  wide-spaced  and  grass. 
It  was  a  beautiful  place. 

"  This  is  the  kind  of  country  to  find  deer  in," 
said  Juarez. 

"  It  does  look  good,"  said  Jim.  "  We  had  better 
leave  our  horses  here  and  try  it  on  foot." 

"  There  is  a  thick  clump  of  trees  over  there," 
remarked  Juarez,  "  where  it  will  be  a  safe  place 
to  tie  them." 

Without  more  ado,  the  two  boys  made  their  way 
to  the  grove,  which  formed  an  excellent  screen,  for 
the  trees  were  not  pine,  but  a  kind  of  alder  with 
large  round  leaves,  and  around  the  grove  was 
quite  a  thick  growth  of  brush.  With  some  diffi- 
culty they  got  into  the  center  of  the  trees,  and 
made  their  horses  fast.  Then  they  started  to  make 
their  way  out  with  their  rifles  ready. 

"Hello!  What  is  that?"  cried  Juarez.    "Didn't 


BIG  GUS  AND  HIS  GANG  211 

you  hear  it  ?  "  The  boys  stood  perfectly  still ;  then 
in  a  few  seconds  came  two  reports. 

"Somebody,  has  got  ahead  of  us/'  remarked 
Jim.  "'Those  were  rifle  shots." 

"Lucky  we  got  in  here  when  we  'did,"  said 
Juarez. 

"  There  go  five  deer,"  cried  Jim,  "  up  the  moun- 
tain opposite." 

"  Sure  enough,"  said  Juarez.  They  were  going 
like  the  wind  and  were  soon  lost  to  sight  on  the 
wooded  slope  of  the  mountain. 

"  I  wish  they  had  come  our  way,"  declared  Jim, 
in  a  disappointed  tone.  "  Those  rascals  have 
spoiled  our  luck." 

"  It  wouldn't  have  been  safe,"  replied  Juarez 
cautiously.  "  It's  some  of  this  gang,  that  the  Mex- 
ican came  from,  and  they  might  outnumber  us." 

"We  will  wait  here  a  few  minutes,"  said  Jim. 
"  Perhaps  we  will  sight  them."  So  the  boys 
crouched  at  the  edge  of  the  grove  with  the  brush 
for  a  screen,  looking  narrowly  in  the  direction  of 
the  shots.  A  half  hour  passed,  still  they  saw  noth- 
ing, but  they  never  stirred,  and  watched  steadily. 
The  Frontier  Boys  had  acquired  something  of  the 
patience  of  Indians  when  it  came  to  lying  in  wait 
for  an  enemy. 


212       FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE  SIERRAS 

"  There  they  come,"  at  length  said  Juarez  the 
keen-eyed.  He  had  discovered  several  dark  spots 
moving  among  the  trees. 

"That's  them,"  cried  Jim  eagerly.  "Four 
of  'em." 

"If  they  cut  our  trail,  we  will  have  to  fight," 
said  Juarez,  "  unless  we  cut  for  camp." 

Jim  shook  his  head.  "  I  want  to  get  a  closer 
view  of  these  beggars,"  he  said. 

They  were  now  coming  within  range,  jogging 
along  on  their  cayuses  down  the  gentle  incline  be- 
tween the  trees.  They  had  shot  a  couple  of  deer. 

"  Three  of  them  look  like  Mexicans,"  said 
Juarez.  "  I  believe  they  are  coming  right  by  us." 

"  If  they  do,  we  will  jump  the  procession,"  said 
Jim. 

However,  they  did  not  get  the  chance,  for  when 
the  hunters  had  come  within  about  three  hundred 
yards  of  the  grove  they  turned  at  right  angles  and 
were  lost  to  view  behind  a  spur  that  ran  from  the 
southern  ridge.  Without  a  moment's  hesitation, 
Jim  and  Juarez  left  their  covert  and  took  up  the 
trail.  It  was  dangerous  work,  but  in  their  moc- 
casined  feet  they  did  not  make  a  sound. 

They  crouched  along  at  a  good  rate,  always 
keeping  near  enough  not  to  lose  the  rear  horse- 


BIG  GUS  AND  HIS  GANG  213 

man,  who  was  a  Mexican  and  rode  stolidly  for- 
ward. When  they  had  the  chance  they  closed  up 
within  a  few*  yards  of  the  men,  so  that  they  could 
overhear  the  scraps  of  conversation.  Once  they 
got  a  real  scare  when  one  of  the  Mexicans  swung 
off  his  pony  and  came  back  looking  for  a  cigarette 
that  he  had  dropped. 

Jim  and  Juarez  pressed  back  into  a  tall  bush 
and  stood  there  not  daring  to  breathe,  while  the 
Mexican,  with  his  eyes  on  the  ground,  came  within 
a  few  feet  of  them,  stooped  and  picked  up  his 
cigarette,  and  then  the  two  boys  heard  the  clatter 
of  his  horse's  hoofs  as  he  made  haste  to  rejoin  the 
rest  of  the  procession.  For  two  hours  they  fol- 
lowed the  four  horsemen  through  the  big  canyon, 
and  the  smaller  side  one,  until  they  came  within 
range  of  the  camp  of  the  enemy,  in  the  pocket  at 
the  end  of  the  side  canyon. 

Here  the  boys  had  to  use  great  caution.  They 
worked  around  to  the  slope  above  the  cabin  of  the 
Gus  Gols  gang.  There  they  got  their  first  view  of 
the  giant  they  had  to  deal  with  as  he  came  into  the 
open  in  front  of  his  cabin,  with  his  slouching  walk. 
Six  feet  four  in  height,  lanky  in  build  but  of 
wonderful  muscular  strength  and  endurance.  He 
was  bareheaded,  with  a  tuft  of  light  hair  sticking 


214       FRONTIER  BOYS  IN    THE   SIERRAS 

straight  up.  His  sun-burned  neck  was  like  a 
column. 

"  You  Eph !  "  he  yelled.  "  Tell  the  Greasers  and 
Ed  I  want  to  see  'em  in  the  corral."  Meaning  the 
cabin. 

"  All  right,  boss,"  came  the  answer  in  Eph's 
gruff  voice. 

It  was  certainly  an  ugly-looking  crowd  that  came 
from  different  directions  in  answer  to  Eph's  sum- 
mons. There  were  seven  of  the  Greasers,  so  there 
was  a  total  of  ten  ruffians  gathered  in  the  cabin. 

"  I'm  going  to  hear  this  pow-wow,"  said  Juarez, 
handing  Jim  his  rifle.  Jim  nodded  and  from  his 
position  behind  a  big  pine  stood  ready  to  protect 
Juarez's  retreat  in  case  he  was  discovered  by  the 
outlaws.  With  nothing  but  his  pistol  and  knife 
ready  to  his  hand  Juarez  started  on  his  dangerous 
mission. 


CHAPTER  XXV 

A   NEW   FORT 

HE  glided  noiselessly  down  the  slope,  moving 
cautiously  but  quickly,  until  he  came  to  the  back 
of  the  cabin.  It  was  not  difficult  for  him  to  hear 
through  the  unstopped  logs.  Jim  watched  nar- 
rowly for  the  first  move  of  discovery  on  the  part 
of  the  outlaws.  He  could  hear  the  rather  high- 
pitched  voice  of  Gus  Gols  occasionally,  and  the 
heavier  one  of  Eph,  but  it  was  impossible  for  Jim 
to  make  out  what  was  being  said. 

He  could  tell  it  was  something  very  interesting 
by  the  way  Juarez  was  listening.  Then  Jim's  heart 
stood  still  when  he  saw  Juarez  rise  suddenly  to  his 
feet  from  his  listening  posture,  for  he  knew  by  his 
action  that  he  was  in  danger  of  discovery.  As  in 
truth  he  was,  as  you  will  see. 

The  pow-wow  had  been  going  on  for  a  few 
minutes  when  Juarez  heard  Gus  Gols  say: 

'(  You  Eph,  take  a  scout  around  the  corral,  and 
see  if  you  kin  discover  any  interested  spectators 
hanging  around.  iThis  is  an  important  business, 
215 


216       FRONTIER   BOYS  IN    THE   SIERRAS 

fellow  cits  and  Greasers,  so  we  will  have  to  fre 
keerful." 

So  Eph  started  for  the  door  on  his  tour  of  in- 
spection, which  he  did  not  take  very  seriously,  for 
he  knew  that  there  was  no  government  official 
within  a  hundred  miles.  As  for  the  tenderfeet  in 
the  valley,  he  never  gave  them  a  thought ;  they  were 
probably  staying  close  to  camp,  afraid  that  the 
bears  would  get  them.  As  soon  as  Gus  Gols  spoke 
Juarez  realized  that  he  had  no  time  to  spare. 

If  he  retreated  up  the  slope,  he  was  almost  cer- 
tain to  be  seen,  and  that  meant  a  running  fight 
against  the  gang  of  ten  men,  with  a  very  dubious 
prospect  ahead.  He  must  act  quickly;  there  was 
no  place  near  the  cabin  where  he  could  hide. 
Already  Eph  had  stepped  outside  the  door.  Now 
the  roof  of  the  cabin  sloped  to  the  back  with  over- 
hanging boards.  Juarez  saw  his  chance;  he 
grabbed  one  of  the  boards  and  lifted  himself  lightly 
up,  and  lay  down  flat  just  as  Eph  came  around  the 
corner  of  the  cabin. 

Jim  was  quivering  with  the  excitement  of  the 
situation.  Eph  took  one  careless  look  around, 
shook  his  head  with  the  muttered  comment  that 
"  The  boss  must  be  losing  his  nerve,"  and  went 
in  to  report  that  all  was  quiet  along  the  Potomac. 


A  NEW  FORT  217 

Juarez  did  not  get  down  from  the  roof  of  the 
cabin,  but  merely  moved  a  little  to  where  there  was 
a  convenient '  knothole,  through  which  he  could 
hear  everything  that  was  going  on  in  the  cabin. 

He  stayed  where  he  was  for  about  ten  minutes, 
lying  as  quiet  as  a  lizard  on  a  sun-warmed  log, 
and  this  is  no  idle  comparison,  for  the  sun  did  shine 
down  with  lots  of  force;  then  he  slowly  and  very 
carefully  moved  backwards,  and  let  himself  gin- 
gerly down  to  the  ground,  while  Jim  watched  him 
intently,  sure  that  he  had  found  out  something  of 
importance. 

Not  a  word  did  Juarez  say,  but  motioned  Jim 
to  follow  him.  When  they  had  made  their  escape 
from  the  pocket,  then  Juarez  spoke  up. 

"  That  was  a  close  call  that  time,  Jim,'*  he  said. 

"  You  Imd  me  scared  for  a  minute,  Juarez,"  ad- 
mitted Jim.  "What's  the  news?  Those  fellows 
were  planning  some  devilment." 

"They  were,"  said  Juarez.  "They  are  going 
to  attack  our  camp  to-night,  when  we  are  asleep. 
Kill  us  and  take  .our  horses  and  supplies." 

"Oh!  ho!  Is  that  the  ticket!"  cried  Jim.  "I 
thought  that  rangy  Maverick  with  the  stick-up  hair 
was  a  bad  actor.  Forewarned  is  forearmed.  We 
will  give  that  bunch  a  surprise  party,  but  we  will 


218       FRONTIER   BOYS  IN   THE   SIERRAS 

Have  to  hustle,  for  it's  a  long  ways  to  our  Horses 
yet." 

"  I  reckon  we  will  have  a  couple  of  hours*  lee- 
way," said  Juarez,  "to  get  things  in  some  sort  of 
shape." 

"  There  will  be  plenty  to  do,"  said  Jim  briefly. 

As  they  swung  along  down  the  mountain  side, 
Jim's  mind  was  busy  with  plans  of  attack  and 
defense.  The  two  boys  traveled  like  Indians  with 
a  swinging,  easy  stride  that  covered  a  lot  of 
ground.  How  they  did  revel  in  the  muscular  exer- 
tion in  that  bracing  air !  It  was  fine  to  feel  them- 
selves equal  to  their  task.  Around  and  before  them 
the  scene  was  constantly  changing. 

Now  they  were  going  through  the  pine  forests, 
then  into  a  canyon's  depths  with  great  walls  that 
seemed  to  bear  the  blue  skies  above;  next  along  a 
narrow  trail,  with  flowering  bushes  hiding  a  little 
creek  babbling  a  few  feet  below.  Then,  covered 
with  dust,  hands  and  faces  baked  brown  with  it, 
they  came  to  the  grove  where  they  had  left  their 
horses  tied. 

"  It  seems  kind  of  good,"  said  Juarez,  "  to  have 
a  horse  to  carry  you." 

"I'm  just  tired  enough  to  enjoy  the  change," 
said  Jim. 


A   NEW  FORT  219 

"  It  won't  take  us  long  to  reach  camp  now,"  re- 
marked Juarez. 

"  Cut  'em  loose !  "  yelled  Jim,  and  with  a  raucous 
Indian  warwhoop,  they  let  their  willing  horses  go. 
I  tell  you  that  was  a  wild  ride  for  speed.  Caliente 
thundered  with  great  leaps  over  the  level  plain,  and 
not  far  behind  scampered  Juarez's  roan.  The  boys 
at  the  camp  on  the  hill,  hearing  the  clatter  of 
horses'  feet,  knew  that  someone  was  approaching, 
and  looked  out. 

"  Here  they  come  like  wild  Indians ! "  exclaimed 
Tom. 

"  Somebody  chasing  them  ? "  inquired  Jeems 
anxiously. 

"  The  same  crowd  that  tied  you,  I  reckon,"  said 
Tom,  and,  for  some  reason  unknown  to  Jeems,  they 
went  into  fits  of  laughter.  In  a  short  time  Jim  and 
Juarez  were  in  their  midst.  They  did  not  waste 
any  time  in  greetings  and  idle  chaff.  They  made 
clear  to  the  rest  of  the  boys  in  conclave  assembled, 
that  the  time  for  action  had  arrived.  Jeems  heaved 
a  sigh  of  regret.  There  seemed  no  chance  for  quiet 
and  meditation.  The  other  boys  were  calm,  but 
serious. 

"  Let  the  horses  graze  a  while,"  said  Jim.  "  We 
have  got  a  couple  of  hours'  leeway.  Now  we  have 


220       FRONTIER   BOYS  IN   THE   SIERRAS 

got  to  build  a  stockade  to  protect  our  horses  and 
ourselves." 

Five  husky  fellows  can  do  a  great  deal  in  two 
hours  and  a  half  of  daylight.  Jim  had  thought  out 
his  plan  and  talked  it  over  with  Juarez,  so  there 
was  no  time  lost  in  useless  palaver.  He  had  chosen 
a  small  open  space  where  the  horses  had  been 
tethered  the  night  before  as  the  place  for  the  fort. 

Jim  and  Juarez,  aided  by  Jo,  went  to  work  cut- 
ting down  trees.  They  were  old  hands  at  this 
business,  and  it  was  a  caution  the  way  the  trees 
crashed  and  fell.  Tom  and  Jeems  were  kept  busy 
dragging  fallen  logs  from  the  slopes  of  the  hill, 
and  turning  them  up.  In  two  hours'  time  the 
square,  rude  fort  was  well  under  way. 

Tom  and  Juarez  were  then  sent  to  take  the  horses 
to  the  stream  to  water  them,  and  after  that,  to  fill 
up  every  available  potpan  and  dish  with  water  in 
case  they  should  be  besieged  for  any  length  of  time. 
This  being  done  all  hands  turned  in  again  to  work 
on  the  fort,  until  it  grew  too  dark  to  see.  Then  a 
fire  was  built  near  the  center  of  the  hill,  and  by 
the  glare  of  its  light  they  were  able  to  continue 
their  work. 

Jim  sent  Juarez,  now  that  the  enemy  might  come 
at  any  time,  to  keep  a  lookout  for  them.  He  was 


A  NEW  FORT  221 

the  best  of  the  boys  for  that  work,  being  a  natural 
scout,  and  of  unusually  keen  vision,  especially  at 
night.  Ther,e  was  a  deep  gully  running  from  the 
foot  of  the  hill  to  the  slope  of  the  mountain,  and 
Juarez  followed  along  that  toward  the  mountain 
slope.  Every  once  in  a  while  he  would  climb  up 
and  look  to  see  if  there  was  any  sign  of  the  ap- 
proaching gang. 

Juarez  was  confident  that  there  would  be  no 
direct  attack  even  under  cover  of  the  darkness  of 
the  night.  For  that  was  not  the  method  of  Gus 
Gols  and  his  gang  of  outlaws.  They  would  take 
the  most  secret  way  of  approach.  In  fact,  Juarez 
was  positive  that  they  would  come  by  this  same 
gully  that  he  was  in.  Gus  Gols  had  spoken  of  the 
gully  in  his  pow-wow  with  his  clan,  but  he  had  said 
nothing  about  his  plan  of  attack.  He  kept  all  such 
things  to  himself.  Juarez  could  hear  clearly  the 
sound  of  axes  as  the  boys  worked  upon  their  fort 
on  the  hill. 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

A    NIGHT    ATTACK 

THE  sound  of  the  work  on  the  hill  carried  far 
through  the  clear,  quiet  air,  so  that  the  outlaws, 
if  they  were  anywhere  near,  would  have  had  warn- 
ing that  preparations  were  being  made  to  receive 
them.  At  last  Juarez's  vigilance  was  rewarded. 
He  crouched,  looking  over  the  edge  of  the  gully 
in  the  direction  of  the  mountain  with  its  heavily- 
wooded  slope. 

He  was  positive  that  he  saw  a  line  of  horsemen 
moving  along  the  edge  of  the  trees.  Then  he 
heard  a  horse's  shoe  strike  a  stone,  and  the  low 
voices  of  men.  A  thrill  went  through  him  at  the 
nearness  of  the  encounter.  Lucky  that  he  and  Jim 
had  been  on  hand  to  hear  the  plans  laid  at  the  pow- 
wow, for  they  would  in  all  probability  have  been 
captured  or  killed,  since  the  outlaws  could  have 
rushed  the  camp  easily.  With  only  one  of  the  boys 
on  guard,  there  would  have  been  no  chance  against 
the  ten  of  them. 

"•What  are  those  tenderfeet  a-doin'  this  time  of 

222 


A   NIGHT  ATTACK  223 

night?"  growled  Gus  Cols',  bringing  his  column 
to  a  halt.  "They  seem  to  be  mighty  busy  about 
something."  s 

"  Maybe  they  have  got  wind  of  our  doin's,"  said 
Eph.  "  I  wouldn't  be  surprised  if  they  weren't 
such  tenderfeet  after  all." 

"  I'm  goin'  to  do  a  little  lookin'  ahead,"  re- 
marked Gus.  "We'll  hitch  our  cayuses  in  the 
woods,  and  you  boys  stay  with  'em." 

Then  the  leader  of  the  gang  left  them  and  made 
his  way  to  the  edge  of  the  pines.  He  stood  looking 
at  the  hill  with  the  light  of  the  campfire  shining  on 
it  like  a  big  red  star,  and  the  sound  of  the  axes 
came  faint  and  clear  to  him.  "  They  sure  are  get- 
ting ready  for  somebody,"  growled  the  giant,  "  and 
I  reckon  it's  us,  but  I'm  going  to  find  out  for  sar- 
tain.  Where's  that  gully?"  He  stalked  along 
until  he  found  it,  and  then  disappeared  as  though 
the  earth  had  swallowed  him. 

Now  Juarez  had  been  debating  whether  to  go 
back  and  warn  the  boys  that  the  enemy  was  ap- 
proaching, or  to  find  out  more  of  what  Gus  Gols 
was  going  to  do  before  reporting  to  Jim,  the  com- 
mander of  the  faithful.  After  a  moment's  hesita- 
tion, he  decided  to  go  ahead  a  ways  further.  At 
the  time  he  made  this  decision  Gus  Gols  had  just 


224       FRONTIER   BOYS  IN   THE   SIERRAS 

entered  the  deep  gully,  and  a  head-on  collision 
seemed  imminent.  It  was  a  dangerous  situation 
for  Juarez. 

However,  one  thing  was  in  his  favor,  he  was  on 
the  alert,  and  the  giant,  who  was  coming  down  the 
gully,  did  not  expect  to  find  any  of  the  boys  abroad, 
supposing  that  they  would  stay  close  to  camp  and 
not  venture  forth  in  the  darkness.  He  was  soon  to 
learn  that  these  same  boys  were  not  to  be  trifled 
with.  Juarez  was  going  along  quickly,  but  very 
carefully,  when  he  suddenly  stopped  and  listened. 

He  could  hear  distinctly  someone  coming  down 
the  ravine.  Just  a  few  steps  ahead  of  him  was  a 
shelf  below  the  edge  of  the  bank.  Juarez  made 
a  spring  and  climbed  up  to  the  shelf  in  a  jiffy, 
but  he  loosened  a  little  dirt  that  slid  down  to  the 
bottom  of  the  gully.  It  made  only  a  little  noise, 
but  enough  to  reach  the  ears  of  Gus  Gols. 

He  stopped  as  though  petrified,  glaring  ahead 
through  the  darkness.  For  five  minutes  he  stood 
thus  with  every  sense  ferociously  alert.  Then  he 
went  forward,  but  with  extreme  caution.  Every 
few  feet  he  examined  the  floor  of  the  gully  for  the 
signs  of  some  footprint.  Juarez  waited  like  a 
graven  image,  hoping  that  the  man,  whoever  it 
might  be,  would  continue  up  the  gully;  then  he 


A   NIGHT   ATTACK  225 

would  follow  and  trap  him  when  he  reached  the 
hill. 

Juarez  cquld  not  be  sure  that  there  was  only 
one.  He  could  hear  nothing,  but  he  was  certain 
that  the  man  was  very  near.  Some  instinct  told 
him  that.  Then  beneath  his  eyes  a  long,  bent, 
stealthy  figure  crept  into  view.  Gols  felt  the  foot- 
prints in  the  sand  of  the  gully,  then  he  glared  up. 
He  saw  the  stooping  figure  of  Juarez  and  jumped 
instantly  back  around  the  curve  of  the  bank. 

The  game  was  up.  Juarez  leaped  out  on  the 
level  and  made  a  dash  for  a  boulder  a  short  dis- 
tance away.  Just  as  he  reached  its  shelter  Gols 
fired,  and  the  bullet  zinged  from  the  side  of  the 
rock  off  into  the  darkness.  Then  Gols  got  a  sur- 
prise, for  Juarez  fired  at  a  dark  bunch  looking 
over  the  edge  of  the  gully.  The  bullet  breezed  his 
cheek  and  Gols  ducked. 

The  sound  of  the  shots  aroused  both  sides,  and 
the  battle  was  on.  Juarez  now  backed  cautiously, 
down  into  a  depression  and  ran  with  all  his  might 
to  give  the  news  to  Jim.  He  got  to  the  hill  just 
in  time  to  warn  Jim  and  Jo  not  to  go  up  the 
gully. 

"  This  is  the  way  they  will  make  their  attack/' 
said  Juarez.  "  We  can  station  ourselves  behind 


226       FRONTIER   BOYS  IN    THE   SIERRAS 

these  trees,  and,  when  they  come  out  of  the  gully, 
we  will  let  'em  have  it." 

"  That's  the  scheme,"  agreed  Jim.  "  Which  one 
did  you  have  the  duel  with,  Juarez  ?  " 

"  The  blond  beauty  himself,"  replied  Juarez. 
"  He  didn't  miss  me  far  either,  but  I  made  him 
take  to  cover  pretty  quick." 

"They  will  be  here  in  about  fifteen  minutes," 
said  Jim.  "  We  might  as  well  get  to  our  places." 

Tom  was  left  in  the  stockade,  and  Jim  and  the 
other  three  boys  took  their  stations  behind  con- 
venient trees  upon  the  slope  of  the  hill  command- 
ing the  entrance  into  the  gully.  Jim  and  Juarez 
were  nearest  to  the  foot  of  the  hill,  backed  by  Jo 
and  Jeems.  They  did  not  have  long  to  wait, 
though  the  twenty  minutes  seemed  like  several 
hours  to  Jo  and  Jeems,  before  there  were  signs  of 
the  approach  of  Gus  Gols  and  his  gang. 

Very  carefully  they  came  up  the  gully,  with  the 
tall  giant  in  the  lead  and  Eph  close  at  his  heels; 
behind  them  came  three  of  the  Mexicans,  but 
where  was  Edgar,  and  the  other  four?  Perhaps 
the  boss  was  afraid  lest  the  flashing  diamond  that 
Ed  always  wore  in  his  shirt  bosom  might  give  their 
presence  away.  But  without  joking,  it  was  strange 
that  these  five  were  not  with  the  main  party.  It 
was  hardly  likely  that  Big  Gus  would  leave  that 


A   NIGHT  ATTACK  227 

number  with  the  horses.  Where  were  tHey?  We 
shall  find  out  in  a  few  minutes. 

"  Don't  you  reckon  those  fellows  have  had  time 
to  make  their  move  ?  "  whispered  Gus  to  his  hench- 
man Eph.  They  had  halted  in  the  darkness  of  the 
gully,  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  yards  from  the 
foot  of  the  hill. 

"Ed's  pretty  quick,"  replied  Eph.  "He  said 
that  he  wouldn't  take  more  than  a  quarter  of  an 
hour." 

"I'll  give  him  five  minutes'  leeway,"  said  Gus. 
"  Then  we  will  jump  these  fellows."  In  a  short 
time  he  looked  at  his  watch  by  the  quick  flare  of  a 
match  that  showed  his  red,  evil  face  with  the 
squinting  blue  eyes. 

"  All  ready  now,  boys,"  he  said  in  a  low:  signifi- 
cant tone.  "  Give  'em  the  lead,  but  'don't  shoot 
the  horses." 

As  ill  luck  would  have  it,  Jeems  Howell,  who 
was  highest  up  on  the  hill,  caught  the  first  glimpse 
of  the  outlaws  as  they  advanced  up  the  gully.  How 
it  occurred  he  never  could  explain,  but  his  rifle 
went  off  before  he  could  aim.  Instantly  the  gang 
dropped  behind  the  bank  and  opened  fire  upon  the 
hill. 

One  volley  had  crashed  out  from  Jim,  Juarez 
and  Jo,  when  Tom's  agonized  voice  rang  out; 


228       FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE  SIERRAS 

"  Quick,  boys,  they  are  coming  up  the  other 
side!" 

The  Frontier  Boys  had  been  outgeneraled. 
There  was  no  question  about  that,  and  they  were  in 
deadly  peril.  There  was  nothing  for  them  to  do 
but  to  retreat  to  the  stockade  before  it  was  too 
late. 

"  Come,  boys ! "  cried  Jim,  and  away  they  dashed 
up  the  side  of  the  hill  with  Gus  Gols  and  his  crew 
in  close  pursuit.  The  bullets  swept  with  deadly 
zing  near  them  as  they  ran.  As  they  neared  the 
stockade  Ed  and  his  men  came  into  view  from 
the  opposite  side  of  the  hill.  Jim  and  Juarez 
dropped  behind  a  rock  and  fired  at  the  foremost 
of  the  crowd  and  they  took  to  cover.  Then  they 
two  got  into  the  fort  and  were  safe  for  the  present. 

The  first  thing  Juarez  did  was  to  climb  into  the 
branches  of  a  big  pine  that  had  been  left  in  the 
stockade.  From  this  point  of  vantage  he  could 
see  in  which  direction  the  enemy  were.  He  did  not 
have  to  wait  long  before  he  saw  one  of  the  crowd 
move  cautiously  from  behind  a  tree  and  rush  for 
a  rock  nearer  the  fort,  but  Juarez  was  ready  for 
him,  and  fired.  The  man  fell,  and,  then  recovering 
his  feet,  rushed  down  the  hill. 


CHAPTER  XXVII 

THE    RETREAT 

THIS  was  the  luckiest  shot  of  the  fight,  for  it 
was  no  other  than  Gus  Gols  himself  whom  Juarez 
had  struck.  There  was  a  lull  now,  and  the  boys 
had  time  to  breathe. 

"  Jo,  you  get  up  into  that  tree  and  keep  watch," 
said  Jim,  "  while  the  rest  of  us  take  account  of 
stock." 

"  I  guess  those  fellows  have  had  enough  to  keep 
them  quiet  for  a  while,"  said  Juarez.  "  It  looked 
to  me  as  though  I  had  got  their  big  chief  with 
that  shot." 

"  It's  half  the  battle  if  you  have  done  that,"  said 
Jim.  "  Wait  till  daylight  comes  and  we  will  make 
them  skedaddle." 

"  It's  remarkable  how  quiet  the  horses  took  all 
this,"  said  Tom. 

"  Oh,  they  have  been  under  fire  before,"  said 
Jim.  "  You  can  trust  'em  not  to  act  up  at  a  time 
like  this." 

This  was  certainly  true,  though  they  were 
packed  together  close  at  the  end  of  the  corral- 
229 


230       FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE   SIERRAS 

stockade.  They  made  no  disturbance  and  seemed 
to  realize  that  their  safety  was  being  looked  after 
by  their  old  comrades,  the  Frontier  Boys. 

"  I'm  kind  of  hungry,"  said  Jim.  "  Let's  have 
something  to  eat." 

"  It's  kind  of  late  for  supper,"  said  Jeems,  "  but 
it's  never  too  late  to  eat." 

So  the  boys  made  as  good  a  meal  in  the  dark- 
ness as  they  could,  and  felt  better  for  it.  They 
also  drank  sparingly  of  the  water,  for  they  did  not 
know  how  long  the  siege  would  last.  It  was  now 
about  half-past  one,  and  the  boys  were  very  anx- 
ious for  the  morning  to  break. 

About  three  o'clock  there  came  a  furious  firing 
from  behind  a  hastily  constructed  entrenchment  at 
the  end  of  the  hill  opposite  where  the  boys  had 
built  their  stockade. 

Most  of  the  bullets  buried  themselves  harmlessly 
in  the  soft  wood  of  the  pine  logs  that  made  the 
walls  of  the  stockade.  The  boys  replied  with  ac- 
curacy, but  they  were  careful  not  to  waste  their 
ammunition.  At  last  the  dawn  broke  clear,  and 
with  the  first  gleam  of  light  the  boys  looked  eagerly 
out  to  see  if  the  enemy  still  held  the  hill. 

"  They  have  vamoosed,"  said  Juarez  after  mak- 
ing a  careful  reconnoissance.  This  was  true,  but 


THE  RETREAT  231. 

tHe  boys  found  that  the  fight  was  not  yet  entirely 
over,  for  when  they  appeared  in  full  view  on  the 
hill  there  came  a  volley  from  the  bank  of  the  creek 
half  a  mile  distant,  which  was  the  nearest  shelter 
that  could  be  obtained  on  that  side. 

The  height  of  the  hill  made  the  first  flight  of 
bullets  fall  somewhat  short,  and,  before  the  crowd 
could  fire  again,  the  boys  had  got  out  of  danger 
and  returned  the  fire  with  interest.  They  had  the 
advantage,  too,  in  firing  down  instead  of  up,  and 
they  kept  the  enemy  close  to  cover. 

About  the  middle  of  the  morning  there  was  a 
furious  fusillade  from  both  sides,  the  creek  bank 
and  the  gully,  against  the  stockade,  which  was 
beginning  to  show  quite  a  scarred  appearance.  The 
boys  replied  with  vigor;  then  suddenly  the  firing 
slackened  and  then  ceased  altogether. 

"  I  believe  they  have  quit,"  declared  Jo. 

"  I  wouldn't  be  too  sure,"  warned  Jim. 

"  There  they  go  up  through  those  willows,  near 
the  creek,"  said  Juarez. 

"That's  where  I  caught  the  trout,"  said  Jo.  He 
evidently  considered  it  a  more  historic  spot  than 
where  the  fort  stood,  being  a  true  fisherman. 

"I  really  believe  they  are  quitting,"  announced 
Tom. 


232        FRONTIER   BOYS  IN    THE   SIERRAS 

"  It's  possible  their  ammunition  has  run  low," 
suggested  Jim. 

"  Another  thing,"  put  in  Jo,  "  if  big  Gus  is 
badly  hurt,  the  rest  of  that  gang  won't  hold  to- 
gether." 

"  That's  so,"  agreed  Juarez.  "  Those  Greasers 
are  never  to  be  trusted." 

"  He  has  bullied  'em  too,"  said  Jim,  "  and  they 
would  naturally  turn  on  him.  But  if  you  treat  the 
Mexicans  fair  and  square,  you  would  find  that  they 
weren't  such  a  bad  lot  after  all." 

"  Just  as  soon  try  to  tame  hyenas,"  said  Tom. 

"  You  are  prejudiced,  Thomas,"  reasoned  Jeems. 
"That  comes  from  being  an  Anglo-Saxon." 

"  He's  an  angler-Saxon,  you  mean,"  said  Jo. 
They  all  laughed  at  this. 

"  That's  pretty  good  for  you,"  said  Jim.  "  Keep 
on  you  will  be  a  wit." 

"  I  am  already,"  replied  Jo  modestly. 

It  seemed  kind  of  natural  to  hear  the  boys  jok- 
ing so  light-heartedly,  and  like  old  times.  The 
battle  was  over  without  any  dramatic  crisis. 
Things  do  happen  that  way  sometimes,  and  the 
boys  were  perfectly  satisfied  to  have  it  end  with- 
out any  grand  blow  out  or  blow  up.  They  soon 
found  out  that  the  enemy  had  indeed  retreated,  for 


THE  RETREAT  233 

they  went  up  the  gully,  that  is,  Jim  and  Juarez  did, 
with  due  caution,  and  found  that  Gus  Gols  and  his 
gang  had  gone.  They  discovered  the  place  where 
their  horses  had  been  hitched. 

"  Good  riddance  to  bad  rubbish,"  said  Jim  en- 
thusiastically. 

"  I  wonder  if  they  will  attack  us  again  to- 
night?" questioned  Juarez. 

"We  will  be  ready  for  them  if  they  do,"  re- 
marked Jim. 

"  I  suppose  we  will  start  to-morrow,"  said 
Juarez,  as  the  two"  walked  back  across  the  level 
meadow  towards  the  hill. 

"  Yes,  if  the  coast  is  clear,"  remarked  Jim.  "  We 
can't  afford  to  lose  any  more  time." 

"  They  are  almost  sure  to  lay  for  us  in  the 
canyon,"  remarked  Juarez.  "  We  will  have  to  find 
some  other  way." 

"One  of  us  will  go  this  afternoon,"  said  Jim, 
"  and  see  if  we  can't  strike  a  new  trail." 

It  was  now  noon  and  the  boys  sat  down  to  a 
quiet  meal,  with  trout  as  the  main  dish,  and  how 
they  did  enjoy  it! 

"  Gosh,  boys,"  exclaimed  Jo,  "  but  it  does  seem 
nice  to  sit  down  to  a  meal  without  the  bullets  buzz- 
ing around." 


234       FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE  SIERRAS 

"  We  will  get  so  that  we  won't  mind  bullets  any; 
more  than  mosquitoes,"  said  Tom. 

"  Listen  to  him !  "  grinned  Jim.  "  Won't  he  sur- 
prise the.  natives  when  we  get  back  to  Homeville 
with  his  stories  of  flying  bullets,  war,  and  border 
ruffians." 

"Why  not?"  retorted  Tom  sullenly.  "What's 
the  use  of  going  through  all  this  business  if  you 
can't  tell  about  it?" 

"  Sure  thing,"  said  Jim. 

"When  are  we  gfcing  Home?"  asked  Jo 
fervently. 

Jim  hesitated  a  minute,  and  then  he  brought  his 
clenched  fist  down  on  his  knee. 

"  We  will  go  home,  boys,"  he  declared,  "  before 
we  start  on  our  trip  around  the  world." 

"  I  begin  to  feel  homesick  already,"  declared  Jo. 

"  We  will  stop  in  Kansas,"  said  Juarez,  his  face 
brightening,  "  and  see  my  folks." 

"  Certainly  we  will,"  agreed  Jim. 

"  I  bet  Juanita  has  grown  into  a  young  lady," 
remarked  Juarez. 

"  Your  father  and  mother  will  be  plumb  glad  to 
see  you,"  said  Jo. 

"You  fellows,  too;  they  think  just  as  much  of 
you  as  they  do  of  me.  And  they  ought  to,  seeing 


THE  RETREAT  235 

How  you  and  Captain  Graves  rescued  Juanita  from 
the  Indians  in  Colorado/* 

"  Will  we  stop  and  see  the  captain  in  his  cabin 
on  the  Plateau  ?  "  asked  Tom  eagerly. 

"  Sure,"  declared  Jim.  "  We  will  spend  a  few 
ftays  with  him.  He  is  too  old  a  friend  to  pass  by." 

"  Won't  it  be  great !  "  exclaimed  Jo.  "  What  will 
the  folks  and  all  the  fellars  think  when  they  see  us 
coming  on  our  chargers  down  the  main  street  of 
Maysville?" 

"  I  reckon  about  everybody  will  take  to  the 
woods.  Think  it  is  band  of  wild  Indians  coming 
down  on  them." 

"  We  will  have  to  hurry  and  find  that  mine,"  said 
Tom,  "before  we  can  strike  the  back  trail  for 
home." 

"  I  have  a  kind  of  feeling  in  my  bones,"  said 
Jim,  "  that  we  are  going  to  find  that  mine  pretty 
soon  now." 

"  We  ain't  more  than  one  day's  ride  from  the 
section  where  it  is,"  said  Jeems. 

"  I'm  going  to  look  for  a  new  trail  this  after- 
noon," said  Jim.  "You  boys  can  work  around 
home." 

"It's  about  time  those  mules  and  horses  had 
some  water,"  remarked  Juarez. 


236       FRONTIER  BOYS  IN.   THE  SIERRAS. 

"Think  it's  safe?"  inquired  Jo. 

"  To  make  sure,  I'll  take  a  gallop  up  the  valley 
a  ways,"  said  Jim,  "  to  see  if  they  have  cleared 
out." 

"That's  the  idea,"  agreed  Juarez.  "I'll  take 
the  creek  side  on  my  roan." 

In  five  minutes  they  were  mounted  and  gal- 
loped off,  Jim  scouting  along  the  mountain  slope 
and  Juarez  taking  the  other  side.  They  met  at 
the  end  of  the  valley  where  the  trail  started  up 
the  big  canyon.  Here  they  dismounted  and  exi 
amined  the  ground  carefully. 


• 

CHAPTER  XXVIII 

A  NEW  START 

"THEY  have  vamoosed  all  right,"  announced 
Juarez  after  examining  the  trail. 

"  The  whole  pack  of  'em,  too,"  affirmed  Jim. 

"  Perhaps  we  can  get  a  view  of  them,"  added 
Juarez. 

"  We  will  hitch  our  horses  here,"  remarked 
Jim,  "and  try  a  squint  up  the  trail  from  that 
grove  yonder." 

This  they  did,  and  from  their  point  of  vantage 
they  were  able  to  see  a  part  of  the  trail,  two  miles 
distant,  where  it  curved  around  a  shoulder  of  the 
mountain. 

"  Maybe  they  have  got  beyond  that  point,"  sug- 
gested Jim. 

"  Hardly,"  replied  Juarez.  "  That's  a  long  steep 
climb  up  there.  They  will  have  to  go  slow  if  any 
of  'em  are  hurt." 

The  boys  waited  a  few  minutes  with  eyes  intent 
upon  the  trail.  Then  they  saw  a  man  on  horseback 
ride  into  view,  then  another  and  another,  until 
237 


238       FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE  SIERRAS 

seven  had  gone  round  the  shoulder  of  the  moun- 
tain. 

"  That  isn't  all,"  said  Jim,  "  there's  three  miss- 
ing." 

"  Maybe  that  Gus  Gols  is  knocked  out,"  said 
Juarez. 

"  It  begins  to  look  like  it,"  said  Jim. 

"  There  they  come,"  cried  Juarez.  "  He  is  hurt 
some,  for  it  takes  two  of  his  men  to  hold  him  on 
his  horse/' 

"  They  are  not  likely  to  bother  us  now  then," 
said  Jim,  "but  all  the  same  I  am  going  to  see  if 
we  cannot  find  a  safe  way  around." 

"All  right,  Jim,"  agreed  Juarez.  "I  will  go 
back  to  camp  and  look  after  things." 

So  they  separated.  Towards  evening  Jim  came 
riding  into  camp,  with  Caliente  showing  the  effects 
of  a  hard  climb.  Jim  dismounted  rather  wearily. 

"Well,  what  luck?"  inquired  the  boys. 

"  There  is  a  way  around,"  he  said,  "  It's  tough 
in  places,  but  we  can  make  it  all  right." 

"  We  ought  to  get  an  early  start,"  said  Juarez. 

"  You  are  right  there,"  agreed  Jim.  "  We  will 
turn  in  early  this  evening." 

So  they  did,  and  by  half-past  two  Jim  sounded 
the  early  rising  alarm.  The  boys  all  got  up  with 


A   NEW   START  239 

alacrity,  except  Tom,  who  did  considerable  growl- 
ing, as  was  his  custom,  but  if  Tom  wanted  sym- 
pathy he  would  have  to  find  it  in  the  dictionary, 
as  the  fellow  said. 

The  boys  lighted  a  fire  within  the  stockade  to 
get  their  breakfast  by,  but  it  was  hidden  so  that 
no  hint  of  their  plans  would  be  given  to  a  watch- 
ful enemy.  The  boys  felt  jovial  when  they  got 
fairly  waked  up.  The  air  was  cold  and  bracing, 
and  they  all  felt  that  the  end  of  their  long  journey 
was  drawing  near. 

By  four  o'clock  everything  was  ready  for  the 
start.  The  mules  were  packed,  and  the  boys  rode, 
out  in  silence  through  the  starry  darkness  across 
the  level  floor  of  the  valley.  Jim  was  in  the  lead, 
and  the  rest  followed  in  order.  Instead  of  going 
up  the  main  trail  through  the  big  canyon,  Jim  bore 
to  the  right,  making  straight  through  the  park 
whe.re  the  men  had  killed  the  deer. 

It  was  well  for  the  Frontier  Boys  that  they  took 
this  way,  for  Eph,  Ed  and  a  number  of  Mexicans 
were  lying  in  ambush  at  a  narrow  and  hidden  part 
of  the  trail,  and,  with  one  concerted  rush,  were 
ready  to  send  the  boys  down  five  hundred  feet. 
Whether  the  Frontier  Boys  would  have  been  so 
rash  as  to  have  walked  blindfolded  into  this  trap 


240       FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE  SIERRAS 

is  doubtful.  Nevertheless,  when  they  took  the 
other  way  they  escaped  a  very  serious  danger. 

When  the  first  steel  shining  rays  of  dawn  struck 
the  slope  of  the  mountain  above  them  the  boys  had 
climbed  up  several  thousand  feet  and  could  see  the 
valley  below  and  the  distant  snow-clad  peaks  to 
the  south,  rosy  with  the  first  touch  of  morning. 
It  was  a  beautiful  sight,  and  the  boys  turned  side- 
ways in  their  saddles,  taking  it  all  in  when  their 
horses  stopped  to  breathe. 

"  Going  to  take  us  above  timber-line,  Jim  ?  "  in- 
quired Juarez. 

"  He's  going  to  lose  us,"  complained  Tom. 

"Then  there  would  be  a  lost  kid  to  go  with  the 
Lost  Mine,"  declared  Jim  humorously.  "  Yes, 
boys,  I'm  going  to  take  you  above  timber-line." 

"  Well,"  said  Jeems  philosophically,  "  it  is  a 
whole  lot  better  than  going  over  the  range  alto- 
gether, as  might  have  been  the  case  if  we  had 
taken  the  trail  through  the  big  canyon  over 
yonder." 

"  Say,  Jeems !  "  exclaimed  Jo,  with  a  catch  in  his 
voice,  "  you  never  told  Jim  and  Juarez  about  the 
time  you  was  sitting  with  your  back  to  a  tree  and 
they  slipped  up  and  tied  you,  and  if  we  hadn't  come 


A   NEW   START  241 

along  there  was  no  telling  what  might  have  hap- 
pened to  you." 

"  That  was  a  close  call,"  said  Jeems.  "  It  was 
when  you,  Jim  and  Juarez  were  off  hunting,  and 
the  boys  had  gone  fishing.  They  got  back  just  in 
the  nick  of  time."  Then  he  went  solemnly  to  work 
to  tell  of  the  thrilling  escape  he  had  had.  At  the 
climax  of  his  narrative,  Tom  and  Jo  burst  into 
roars  of  laughter. 

"  What's  the  matter  with  you  two  guys  ? "  in- 
quired Jim.  "  I  bet  my  hat  that  you  were  at  the 
bottom  of  this  rascality." 

The  two  admitted  their  guilt,  and,  after  his  sur- 
prise was  over,  Jeems  took  it  good-naturedly,  while 
even  Jim  had  to  laugh,  for  it  was  certainly  a  suc- 
cessful practical  joke. 

"Sometime,"  said  Jim  prophetically,  "you  two 
kittens  will  get  caught  up  with." 

The  boys  had  now  ridden  above  the  stunted  trees 
that  marked  the  limits  of  timber  line,  but  they  did 
not  cross  over  the  barren,  rocky  summit  that  rose 
above  them  for  two  thousand  feet,  covered  with  a 
broad  mantle  of  snow,  but  instead  bore  south 
through  a  deep  gorge,  that  threatened  to  close  its 
rocky  jaws  upon  them  at  every  turn.  But  Jim  was 


242       FRONTIER  BOYS  IN   THE   SIERRAS 

too  good  a  scout  to  lead  them  where  they  would 
be  trapped. 

Before  noon  they  had  made  their  way  out  of  the 
gorge  and  were  upon  the  northwestern  slope  of 
the  great  mountain.  Looking  off,  while  they  gave 
their  horses  time  to  breathe,  they  saw  a  somewhat 
different  looking  section  of  the  range  than  that 
which  they  had  been  traveling  through  the  past 
day.  From  the  height  where  they  now  stood  the 
vast  region  beneath  them  was  made  up  of  low 
mountains,  extending  onward  like  recurring  billows 
of  the  sea,  hemmed  in  by  peaks  and  higher  moun- 
tains. 

"  Down  there  somewhere  is  the  Lost  Mine,"  said 
Jim,  with  a  sweep  of  his  hand. 

"  Talk  about  a  needle  in  a  haystack,"  growled 
Tom,  "  this  beats  it." 

"  You  talk  as  if  you  were  sitting  on  the  needle," 
declared  Jim.  "Try  to  talk  cheerful  even  if  you 
do  feel  bad." 

"  It  isn't  quite  as  bad  as  it  looks,  Tom,"  said 
Jeems  encouragingly.  "  You  see  that  mountain 
with  the  rocky  hump  on  it.  That  mine,  according 
to  my  calculations  from  the  chart  we  have,  ought 
to  be  there  or  within  two  miles  of  it." 

"  We  will  dig  over  every  inch  of  that  mountain," 


A    NEW   START  243 

declared  Tom,  his  eyes  shining  with  enthusiasm, 
for  he  dearly  loved  money. 

"  We  don't  want  you  to  become  a  miser,  Tom," 
said  Jim  judiciously,  "  so  I  will  appoint  a  commit- 
tee to  take  care  of  your  share." 

"Eh?"  cried  Tom,  his  jaw  dropping,  then  re- 
covering, he  yelled,  "No  you  won't,  James  Dar- 
lington, I'll  go  to  law.  You  can't  cheat  me  of  my 
rights."  Tom  was  pale  with  anger  and  Jim  was 
disgusted. 

"  Ah,  go  on  with  you,"  he  said,  "  you  are  noth- 
ing but  an  Eastern  money  shark,  anyway." 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

THE     SEARCH 

THE  mountain  of  the  Lost  Mine,  as  it  may  be 
called  for  the  purposes  of  identification,  did  not 
seem  more  than  half  a  day's  journey  from  the 
divide  where  the  boys  first  saw  it,  but  it  took  them 
two  days  of  hard  marching  before  they  reached  its 
vicinity,  so  deceitful  are  the  distances  in  the  higK 
altitudes. 

Now,  behold  them,  camped  in  a  shallow  little 
valley,  between  two  spurs  of  the  Lost  Mine  moun- 
tain, their  tent  pitched  on  a  small  shelf  back  from 
a  little  stream  that  went  singing  along  to  a  larger 
one,  between  its  willow  bushes,  and  over  glistening 
boulders  of  polished  granite.  There  was  a  growth 
of  grass  on  either  side  of  the  creek,  where  the 
horses  could  graze.  Altogether  it  was  a  restful 
place  to  camp  in,  after  the  grandeur  of  the  great 
mountains  that  had  surrounded  them,  and  the  sav- 
age gorges  they  had  ridden  through.  There  was  a 
sense  of  rest  and  satisfaction  that  the  Frontier 
Boys  felt  in  having  arrived  at  the  goal  of  their  long 
244 


THE  SEARCH  245 

journey  by  land  and  sea.  True,  they  did  not  know 
exactly  the  position  of  the  Lost  Mine,  but  they 
hoped  to  fintf  it  with  the  help  of  the  diagram  which 
they  were  fortunate  enough  to  possess. 

"  Let's  have  a  look  at  that  faded  heirloom  of 
yours,"  said  Jim  to  Jeems,  as  they  sat  on  some 
rocks  around  the  campfire,  on  the  evening  of  their 
arrival. 

"All  right,  Skipper,"  said  Jeems  cheerfully. 
Then  he  took  his  faded  coat  and  carefully  un- 
pinned the  inside  pocket,  and  put  in  his  hand  and 

! 

pulled  out  nothing. 

"  It's  gone,"  he  exclaimed,  his  face  paling.  "  I've 
been  robbed." 

"I  bet  it  was  those  Greasers,"  declared  Jo, 
hastily,  but  with  conviction.  Jim  looked  at  broth- 
ers Jo  and  Tom  narrowly,  then  he  put  a  heavy 
and  accusing  hand  on  their  joint  shoulders,  or 
their  shoulder  joints,  if  you  prefer  it  that  way. 

"  You  are  the  Greasers,"  he  said  severely.  "  Now 
cough  up."  Jo  reached  down  guiltily  into  his 
pistol  pocket  and  fished  up  the  required  document. 

"  I  don't  know  exactly  what  to  do  with  these 
fellows,"  said  Jim  magisterially,  giving  them  each 
a  shake  under  his  big  clutch. 

"  Leave  us  alone !     That's  what  you  can  do," 


246       FRONTIER   BOYS   IN   THE   SIERRAS 

said  Tom  grumpily,  but  Jim  went  on  without  notic- 
ing Tom's  remark. 

"  This  is  their  third  offense,  and  I  reckon  we  will 
have  to  hang  'em  this  time  if  we  can  find  a  tree 
strong  enough  to  stand  the  strain  of  two  such 
rascals  at  once." 

"  I  tell  you  a  better  scheme,"  said  Jeems  Howell 
with  a  twinkle  in  his  eye.  "  Get  a  twig  of  the  tree 
and  touch  'em  up  with  that." 

"  That's  the  idea,"  agreed  Jim.  "  Bring  me  the 
switches,  Juarez." 

"  Aye,  aye,  sir,"  said  Juarez  cheerfully,  and  he 
started  on  his  commission.  The  implied  indignity 
of  a  switching  was  too  much  for  the  two  youths. 
They  would  have  much  preferred  to  be  hanged,  so 
they  prepared  to  leave  home  immediately  and  with- 
out due  notice.  Father  Jim's  grasp  relaxed  for  a 
moment,  and,  with  a  wrench,  both  boys  tore  them- 
selves loose  and  sped  away  in  the  darkness,  and 
from  this  outer  darkness  they  hurled  remarks  and 
pieces  of  dirt  and  small  stones  at  the  three  about 
the  campfire,  just  as  other  small  bad  boys  would 
do;  but  the  grown-ups  paid  no  attention  to  the 
culprits,  merely  pulled  their  sombreros  down 
around  their  ears  and  began  a  diligent  study  of 
the  diagram  of  the  Lost  Mine.  So  absorbed  were 


THE  SEARCH  247 

tHey  after  a  while  that  they  forgot  the  outlanders, 
when  they  crept  into  camp. 

"  Let's  se,e,"  said  Juarez.  "  Where  are  we  on 
this  diagram?" 

"  We  passed  by  the  pine  tree  with  the  cross  cut 
on  one  side,"  said  Jeems,  "  the  other  day." 

"That  crooked  line  below  there  is  the  trail  in 
this  valley,"  said  Jo,  who  was  too  interested  to 
keep  at  a  safe  distance. 

"If  it  is  anything  crooked,  you  and  Tom  ought 
to  be  experts,"  said  Jim,  looking  keenly  at  the  two 
ex-fugitives.  They  said  nothing  by  way  of  re- 
tort, considering  that  silence  was  the  better  part 
of  wit  on  this  particular  occasion. 

"  If  that  line  is  a  path,"  said  Juarez,  "  those 
drawings  on  either  side  represent  buildings  of 
some  sort." 

"  But  how  about  the  figures  at  the  bottom  of  the 
diagram  ?  "  inquired  Jeems.  "  I  can't  make  them 
out." 

"  Four  hundred +1500 — 30,"  read  Jim.  "  I  can 
add  it  up  if  that  will  do  any  good." 

"  The  best  thing  we  can  do,"  said  Jeems,  the 
philosopher,  "  is  to  go  to  bed  and  tackle  this  propo- 
sition in  the  morning." 

This  the  boys  did,  but  it  was  a  hard  thing  for 


248       FRONTIER   BOYS  IN   THE   SIERRAS 

them  to  get  to  sleep,  so  busy  were  their  brains, 
and  they  all  dreamed  diagram,  mysterious  combi- 
nations of  figures  and  lines.  When  they  awoke  the 
next  morning,  it  was  with  the  same  happy  sense  of 
anticipation  that  the  small  boy  wakes  up  on  the 
morning  of  the  glorious  Fourth. 

As  soon  as  it  was  light  enough  to  see,  the  Fron- 
tier Boys  started  out  to  solve  the  location  of  the 
Lost  Mine.  Each  one  had  a  copy  of  the  diagram 
with  him,  also  a  pick  or  a  shovel  and  powder  for 
blasting.  Jim  and  Juarez  worked  together,  Tom 
and  Jo  also,  while  Jeems  Howell  was  a  lone  pros- 
pector, and  it  seemed  indeed  like  old  times  to 
him. 

For  a  short  ways  they  went  all  together  up  the 
shallow  valley;  then,  after  going  a  half  mile,  they 
took  separate  courses,  Jim  and  Juarez  following 
the  line  of  the  overgrown  trail  up  the  valley,  and 
Jeems  striking  straight  up  the  slope  of  the  moun- 
tain. Tom  and  Jo  wandered  around  eagerly  and 
inconsequentially,  expecting  to  see  the  opening  to 
the  Lost  Mine  at  any  moment. 

Jeems  was  the  first  to  make  a  discovery  of  im- 
portance, but  bearing  only  indirectly  on  the  loca- 
tion of  the  mine.  After  climbing  up  about  five 
hundred  feet  he  saw  that  there  had  been  a  tre- 


THE  SEARCH  249 

mendous  landslide  down  the  southern  slope  of  the 
mountain. 

"  Some  earthquake  did  that,"  he  said,  "  and  not 
yery  recently  either.  I  bet  that  the  lost  mine  is 
under  the  slide."  Just  then  he  heard  Jim's  voice 
in  a  faint  halloo  below  him.  He  felt  sure  that  they 
had  made  a  discovery  likewise.  He  strode  eagerly 
down  the  slope  to  tell  Jim  and  Juarez  what  he  had 
found  out,  and  to  see  about  their  discovery. 

"  We  have  found  part  of  the  cabin  that's  in  the 
diagram,"  cried  Juarez  as  soon  as  Jeems  hove  in 
sight. 

"  It  was  the  landslide  did  that,"  declared  Jeems, 
and  he  told  them  of  his  discovery.  The  boys  were 
jubilant,  and  rightly  so,  for  at  last  they  had  struck 
the  trail. 

The  point  of  departure  had  been  found,  for  a 
heavy  storm  had  uncovered  one  end  of  a  de- 
molished cabin,  over  which  a  part  of  the  landslide 
had  swept. 

"  This  is  the  further  one,"  said  Jim. 

"Yes,  the  other  one  is  on  the  upper  side  of  the- 
old  trail  and  is  covered  deep,"  said  Juarez.  f, 

"  Now  let's  take  those  figures  in  feet  first,"  said ' 
Jim.  . 

"  I'll  pace  in  yards,"  said  Jeems,  "  we  may  save. 


250       FRONTIER   BOYS  IN   THE   SIERRAS 

time  that  way,"  and  he  started  off  from  the  side  of 
the  discovered  cabin,  while  Jim  and  Juarez  meas- 
ured the  distance  in  feet,  400  straight  up  the  val- 
ley, then  1500  at  right  angles,  and  this  brought 
them  to  a  point  well  up  on  the  side  of  the  moun- 
tain. 

"  Thirty  feet  straight  down  and  we  will  know 
our  fate,"  said  Jim. 

They  practically  had  all  day  before  them  and 
they  set  busily  to  work  with  pick  and  shovel,  be- 
ginning at  a  point  below  where  they  had  set  the 
mark. 


CHAPTER   XXX 

THE     LOST     MINE     AGAIN 

FORTUNATELY  it  was  not  heavy  going,  as  the 
dirt  and  gravel  was  comparatively  loose,  and  in  the 
morning  of  the  next  day  about  ten  o'clock,  they 
came  to  a  nest  of  rocks  which  barred  their  way. 
By  hard  efforts  and  by  loosening  a  large  stone 
there  was  a  narrow  rift  made,  through  which  they 
crawled,  with  Juarez  in  the  lead. 

"  Here's  the  entrance,"  he  cried,  his  voice 
sounding  hollow  from  the  interior. 

"  The  Lost  Mine ! "  yelled  Tom,  and  in  a  second 
they  were  all  together  in  the  entrance,  and  with  a 
rousing  cheer  at  what  promised  to  be  the  success- 
ful end  of  all  their  trials  and  dangers,  then  home 
again,  and  after  that  their  journey  on  the  Sea 
Eagle  into  foreign  countries  and  searching  strange 
corners  of  the  earth. 

"  Light  up,  boys,"  said  Jim.  "  We  will  soon  see 
.what  we  have  ahead  of  us." 

"  We  will  have  to  be  careful,"  warned  Juarez, 
"  there  is  no  telling  what  we  will  meet,  we  are  al- 
ways running  into  excitement  of  some  sort." 


252       FRONTIER   BOYS  IN   THE   SIERRAS 

"  I  guess  not,"  replied  Jeems,  "  we  have  had 
enough  to  last  us  for  a  lifetime.  Let's  wind  this 
business  up  quietly." 

"  Agreed/'  said  Jim.  "  We  will  make  up  for 
it  later.  Forward,  march !  " 

With  pine  torches  they  went  forward  through 
the  gloom,  the  light  showing  that  the  entrance  to 
the  mine  had  been  buttressed  with  pine  timber,  but 
this  extended  only  a  few  feet,  and  then  they  came 
to  a  narrow  rift  between  dripping  rocks. 

"  Low  bridge,  Jeems,"  cried  Jo. 

"  This  looks  to  me  to  be  a  cave,"  said  Jim. 

"  It  don't  keep  it  from  being  a  pocket  mine,  even 
if  it  is  a  cave,"  said  Jeems  wisely, 

"  You  ought  to  know,  Jeems,"  said  Juarez,  "  as 
you  were  a  prospector  before  we  were  born." 

"  Oh,  I'm  not  that  old,"  protested  Jeems.  "  Here 
we  are  getting  to  the  workings  now." 

"  Sure  enough,"  cried  Jim,  a  thrill  of  interest  in 
his  voice. 

"  Here  is  where  they  have  picked  out  some  nug- 
gets," said  Jo. 

"  It  won't  be  far  to  the  find  now,"  said  Tom, 
shaking  with  excitement. 

Jeems  was  looking  closely  with  his  trained  eyes 
along  the  walls  and  into  every  crevice  and  upon 


THE  LOST  MINE   AGAIN  253 

the  shelves  of  stone,  for  the  sides  of  the  cave-mine 
were  not  smooth,  but  singularly  rugged. 

"  Struck  i'i  rich,  boys !  "  Jeems  cried  suddenly,  as 
he  held  the  flame  of  his  torch  near  the  wall.  "  Give 
me  the  pick,  take  the  lamp,  Tom."  It  was  the  ulti- 
mate moment  of  triumph  for  the  Frontier  Boys. 
Carefully,  but  with  skillful  precision,  Jeems 
brought  the  pick  down  upon  the  surface  of  the 
wall  where  it  was  roughened  into  little  mounds. 

"  That  don't  look  like  gold,"  said  Tom.  "  It's 
nothing  but  dingy  rock."  Jeems  only  smiled  at 
Tom's  comment,  as  he  swung  his  pick  in  the  light 
of  the  flaming  torches. 

"  That's  stone-stain,  Tom,"  he  said,  then  a  loos- 
ened nugget  fell  to  the  floor  of  the  cave.  Jo  picked 
it  up  and  there  was  the  yellow  gleam  of  gold  under 
the  wavering  light  of  the  torches. 

"  There's  a  whole  nest  of  them,"  cried  Tom. 

"  I  wonder  where  the  goose  is  that  laid  them  ?  " 
questioned  Jo. 

"I'm  going  to  find  a  nest  for  myself,"  said 
Juarez.  Bancroft  Library 

It  was  a  most  interesting  search,  and  each  of  the 
toys  made  finds  of  their  own.  Jim  discovered  a 
square  yard  of  nuggets,  not  close  set,  of  course, 
but  there  must  have  been  twenty  of  varying  sizes, 


254       FRONTIER  BOYS  IN  THE  SIERRAS 

and  Juarez  made  the  biggest  individual  find  of  a 
nugget  that  was  five  inches  tall  and  three  thick. 
Every  second  the  other  boys  expected  to  make  a 
discovery  that  would  discount  Juarez. 

After  the  first  excitement  was  over,  they  settled 
down  to  systematic  work.  It  was  necessary  to 
send  someone  back  for  the  lanterns  so  that  they 
could  have  steady  light  to  work  by ;  but  who  should 
go?  That  was  the  painful  question.  The  work 
was  so  interesting  that  they  all  naturally  wanted  to 
stay  on  the  job. 

"  Let  Jeems  go,"  said  the  generous  Tom.  "  It's 
an  old  story  to  him  anyway."  The  good-natured 
Jeems  would  probably  have  allowed  himself  to  be 
imposed  upon,  but  Jim  put  his  foot  down  upon 
Tom's  proposition. 

"  No  you  don't,"  he  said.  "  We  will  draw  lots 
to  decide."  As  luck  or  fate  would  have  it,  Tom 
got  the  shortest  straw,  or,  rather,  sliver  of  pine, 
and  had  to  go  after  the  lanterns.  Tom  was  a 
picture  of  the  heart  bowed  down  when  the  decision 
went  against  him,  and  the  boys  laughed  at  his  woe- 
begone face. 

"  Maybe  you  will  be  able  to  find  an  honest  man 
with  your  lantern,  Tom,"  said  Jim  consolingly. 

"  I  wouldn't  come  to  this  gang,"  he  retorted  bit- 


THE  LOST  MINE   AGAIN  255 

terly,  and  to  prove  the  sincerity  of  his  belief,  he 
took  his  little  pile  of  nuggets  to  Jeems. 

"  Take  care  of  these  till  I  get  back,"  he  said. 
Then  his  two  brothers  went  into  convulsions  of 
merriment  at  this  token  of  Tom's  regard. 

"If  you  didn't  steal  them  you  would  be  sure 
to  hide  'em,"  he  said,  and  there  was  considerable 
truth  in  his  last  observation. 

"  If  you  are  going  to  make  a  bank  out  of  Jeems, 
you  will  have  to  pay  him  interest,"  remarked  Jo 
derisively.  Tom  regarded  Jeems  doubtfully  and 
then,  reassured  by  his  belief  in  the  latter's  gener- 
osity, he  made  off  on  his  errand. 

"  There  is  one  good  thing  about  Tom's  going," 
said  Juarez,  "  he  will  hustle  more  than  any  of  us." 

"  No  doubt  about  that,"  laughed  Jim.  "  He  will 
scorch  a  trail  down  the  mountain  all  right." 

It  was  true  that  Tom  made  extraordinary  time, 
for  he  was  desperately  afraid  lest  his  comrades-in- 
arms would  get  all  the  nuggets,  but  he  need  not 
have  been  so  worried,  for  the  boys  worked  busily 
night  and  day  for  the  greater  part  of  a  week  before 
Jim  gave  the  orders  to  break  camp.  There  was 
bitter  rebellion  on  the  part  of  Tom,  and  he  was 
.backed  by  Jo. 

"You  can  stay,"  Jim  said  finally.     "We  have 


256       FRONTIER   BOYS  IN   THE   SIERRAS 

enough,  and  more  than  enough.  If  we  don't  pull 
up  stakes  now,  we  will  be  snowed  under.  A  storm 
will  strike  us  at  this  altitude  any  timfc  at  this  sea- 
son. We  did  not  come  here  to  spend  the  winter 
and  we  are  not  prepared  for  it.  What's  the  use  of 
the  gold?  It  won't  buy  us  anything  if  we  are  noth- 
ing but  beautiful  frozen  corpses." 

"You  hit  the  nail  on  the  head  that  time,  Skip- 
per," said  Jeems  Howell,  the  philosopher.  "Gold 
is  no  good  if  you  are  dead.  Men  kill  their  souls 
getting  it,  too,  pretty  often  in  this  world."  Tom 
had  to  give  in,  but  he  kept  growling  under  his 
breath,  and  Jim  turned  on  him  fiercely. 

"Another  growl  out  of  you,  Tom  Darlington, 
and  I'll  give  you  a  sound  thrashing.  I'm  using  my 
best  judgment  and  I  am  not  going  to  be  pestered 
from  here  to  the  coast  with  your  growling  sulks. 
That's  straight.  You  cheer  up."  Tom  cheered. 

They  got  an  early  start  one  morning  and  turned 
their  horses'  heads  southward.  The  gold  was 
evenly  divided,  and  the  burden  imposed  equally 
upon  the  three  mules.  The  trimphant  procession, 
started,  with  Jim  mounted  jauntily  on  his  white 
charger,  Caliente,  followed  by  Juarez  and  the  rest 
in  order. 

It  was  certainly  a  happy  crowd  when  they  Had 


THE  LOST   MINE   AGAIN  257 

finally  started  on  their  return  trip  to  the  ceast.  The 
talk  was  all  of  their  plans  for  the  future,  about 
their  home-going,  all  of  which  is  related  in  the 
"  Frontier  Boys  in  the  Saddle,"  for  it  was  a  longish 
journey  and  a  thrilling  one,  and  then  home. 
Juarez  did  not  say  much,  but  it  was  evident  that  his 
mind  was  busy  thinking  of  his  people  on  the  Kansas 
farm  outside  of  River  Bend. 

"  It  will  be  too  late  in  the  season  when  we  get 
to  your  place,  Juarez,  for  a  game  of  baseball,"  re- 
marked Jo. 

"It's  too  bad,"  replied  Juarez.  "It  would  be 
fine  sport  to  beat  those  Hughsonville  fellows 
again." 

"  I'm  not  so  sure  that  I  could  pitch  a  baseball 
now,"  said  Jo.  "  It's  a  long  time  since  I  have  had 
one  in  my  hand/' 

"That  would  be  all  right,"  said  Jim  easily. 
"  We  would  have  Jeems  for  umpire,  and  he  would 
help  us  out." 

"  Now,  boys,  don't  you  go  to  planning  trouble  for 
me,"  expostulated  Jeems.  "  I  don't  mind  dodging 
sharks  and  being  tied  up  by  fierce  outlaws,  like  Jo 
and  Tom,  but  I  won't  be  an  umpire." 

"  That's  settled,"  laughed  Jo.  "Anyway,  if  we 
can't  indulge  in  baseball,  we  will  have  a  game  of 


258       FRONTIER   BOYS  IN   THE   SIERRAS 

horseshoes,  behind  the  blacksmith's  shop  at  River 
Bend. 

"  I  wonder  how  the  Sea  Eagle  and  the  old  Cap- 
tain are  getting  along?  "  said  Jeems. 

"We  will  see  in  about  ten  days,"  replied  Jim. 
"But  I'm  not  worrying  with  the  old  man  and  the 
engineer  aboard.  We  will  stop  long  enough  to  say 
howdy  to  'em,  leave  our  gold  or  most  of  it  aboard 
ship  and  then  hike  for  home." 

"  Do  you  think  it  will  be  safe  on  the  ship,  Jim  ?  " 
inquired  Jo  anxiously. 

"As  safe  as  anywhere,"  said  Jim  nonchalantly. 

The  Frontier  Boys  rode  steadily  southward,  tak- 
ing a  more  direct  way  and  an  easier  one  than  that 
by  which  they  had  come.  They  took  no  chance  of 
running  into  Gus  Gols  or  his  gang  of  cutthroats. 
They  were  fortunate  in  not  being  molested  or  way- 
laid, and  for  the  first  five  days  the  weather  was 
fine,  but  the  morning  of  the  sixth  day  it  began  to 
snow  just  as  they  rode  out  of  camp.  The  boys  did 
not  worry,  however,  as  they  were  through  the 
worst  of  the  mountain  trip.  Indeed,  they  rather 
enjoyed  the  soft  and  silent  fall  of  the  snow;  it 
was  a  change. 

"  Boys,  this  is  Christmas  weather !  "  cried  Jeems. 

"  We  will   spend   our   Christmas   at   home   this 


THE  LOST  MINE   AGAIN  259 

year,  boys ! "  said  Jim,  turning  in  the  saddle  and 
looking,  down  the  line,  each  one  riding  jauntily 
and  easily  through  the  rapidly  falling  snow  that 
softly  flaked  their  weather-hued  faces  and  starred 
the  coats  of  their  horses.  "  All  in  favor  of  this 
proposition  say  aye ! "  continued  Jim. 

"  Aye !  "  roared  the  boys  in  chorus. 

"  You,  too,  Jeems,"  urged  Jim,  "  won't  leave  you 
out.  Make  it  unanimous  this  time ! " 

And  they  did.  As  for  the  reader,  he  must  not  be 
left  out  in  the  cold  and  the  snow,  and  he,  too,  is 
invited  to  be  present  at  the  boys'  Christmas  at 
home,  for  it  is  bound  to  be  a  jolly  affair,  and  the 
Frontier  Boys  are  nothing  if  not  hospitable.  The 
record  of  their  trip  overland  eastward  and  of  their 
home-coming  is  bound  to  be  full  of  interest  and 
incident ;  for  the  boys,  besides  being  hospitable,  are 
also  very  enterprising  and  venturesome. 


THE  END 


• 


